Not everyone who works in recycling planned to. But some people arrive, get stuck in, and realise they've found something worth staying for. Emily is one of those people — and she's become one of the most capable operators on site in the process.
I’m the final link in the chain for recyclables leaving site. The pickers sort material and put it into bays, then I collect it, take it to be baled, and when we have enough of one stream I load it into containers, complete the paperwork and make sure everything is as it should be. I also show buyers around the site — they tell me what they do and don’t like about the material, which has taught me a huge amount about the different grades and what makes quality recycling. Getting that right matters. It affects where the material can go and what it becomes.
That I’m doing it, probably. People don’t expect to see a woman operating machinery in a recycling plant. But I feel completely part of this team — it doesn’t matter that I’m a woman, I can do this job just as well as anyone. What really stuck with me is that some new starters have told me that seeing a woman doing this job made them want to join. I hadn’t expected that, but it means a lot.
I’ve passed the in-house tests to operate machinery on site — load-alls, excavators, diggers. I drive the 35D as well, which is a machine that lifts bales using a forklift with a grab on it. I’ve learned how to attach a bale ramp to a container correctly and safely, completed health and safety training including fire safety, asbestos awareness and correct mask fitting. And alongside all of that I’ve built up a detailed understanding of the waste and recycling process — the different grades of materials, what contamination means in practice, how to make sure containers are compliant. It’s a lot more technical than people assume.
I started on the picking line. I got off the line by volunteering to do the jobs other people didn’t want to do. I was recommended for more responsibility because I was willing. That’s genuinely how it works — you get a foot on the ladder by being open to different things. I came from being a horse riding instructor before the Co-op, so I was used to the dirt and the physical side of things. But it was the willingness to say yes that made the difference here.
>One big dysfunctional family. And I mean that in the best possible way — we build great connections working here. You’re alongside the same people every day in a demanding environment, and that brings people together. I’ve worked with farmers, visiting businesspeople, buyers from all over — you learn to communicate with everyone. That’s something I didn’t expect to take away from a job in recycling, but it’s one of the things I value most.
Being part of a company that is genuinely trying to make things better — for the local environment, for future generations. The investment in new clean technologies, the push to do things properly rather than just adequately. That matters to me. When you’re the final link in the chain for recyclables leaving site, you understand the importance of getting it right. This isn’t just a job, it’s part of something bigger.
Completely. I see things differently now. I recently saw a TikTok where people were suggesting wetting cardboard to fit more in the bin — but wet cardboard can’t be recycled. Or plastics that contained oil need to be washed twice before they can be processed properly. Most people don’t know things like that, and it genuinely affects what we can do with the material. Working here gives you an understanding of recycling that goes way beyond what most people ever get, and I think that’s worth sharing.
Bluntly, don’t be lazy! Be willing to learn and open your horizons. I got where I am by volunteering for the jobs other people didn’t want — and I was recommended for more because of it. Push yourself to exceed, because that’s how you learn best. You go up the food chain by putting yourself out there and trying.
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