Background

Recon has a certified Environmental Management System (ISO 14001:2015) which acts as a sustainability policy for the entire company, ensuring it is continually monitoring its environmental impacts and seeking areas of improvement.

ReCon has a varied range of customers including: Dept of Infrastructure; NI Water Ltd; Various Local Authorities; and numerous private sector clients, but in past years, ReCon has also supported several local community projects which, as well as enabling the company to give something back to the community, has also provided a useful outlet for recycled product.

In 2020, ReCon was proud to have achieved the Top Performing Small Business Awards in 2020 NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey.

ReCon’s Mission Statement:

“At ReCon we are fully committed to the delivery of a cost effective, green and efficient service to local business sectors whilst participating in government processes in order to sustain our local environment. We strive to use an innovative approach to achieve the highest possible recycling rates on incoming waste streams”

Achieving ReCon’s sustainable economic performance objectives involves: operating according to its values, to the highest standards of waste governance, and to the company’s own Environmental Policy.

The company is committed to running and growing the business in a sustainable way, for the benefit of clients, current and future employees, and the local community where it operates.

Efforts to achieve sustainable environmental performance address two key areas:

• minimizing the environmental impact of ReCon’s customers’ waste producing operations
• minimizing the environmental impact of ReCon’s own waste producing activities on site

Reducing the environmental impact of the business and its customers’ is the cornerstone on which ReCon hopes it will improve the sustainability of its business practices.

Impacts and Outcomes

Local farmers and landowners have already benefitted from ReCon’s work. By using recycled topsoil conditioner they are improving their land areas and reducing dependency on natural resources and expensive land drainage schemes. This in turn leads to a better understanding of the local environment and ways in which to improve it sustainably.

One area ReCon has focused is working to support local community projects where environmental awareness and local needs have become intertwined. ReCon understands the importance of how an improved environmental area can improve the lives and wellbeing of local people.

One such project was The Legacy Garden. During lockdown in 2020, children in a local Derrymacash housing estate created a Community Group called the The McGreavy Residents Group. The children knew there was an idle piece of land on the edge of the estate and an enterprising young resident Emma Hylands, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to turn the waste ground into a play area.

Emma also produced a video to highlight their plight, when they were turned down for funding by local Councils. This is where ReCon came in.

Emma and the other residents needed soil to transform the area and make the garden a reality. ReCon promptly reacted to Emma’s request and donated 10 tonnes of recycled topsoil.  With other local businesses and tradesmen helping out, the garden started to become reality.

The children spent their summer lockdown fundraising and working hard in the garden they created.

ReCon also sourced peat from Forkers Garden Products, who also generously donated 700 litres of quality compost.

The children and their parents transformed an otherwise disused area into a valuable space for generations to come.

This project showed how a local company, producing products from recycled materials, can give back to the community in ways which are beneficial for the growth and sustainability of that community.

The project got residents outdoors, working together and positively impacted the mental health and stress levels of both children and adults during a challenging period. The McGreavy Residents have transformed the environment in which they live into a bright and vibrant garden and have created a safe and welcoming space for their children to play for generations to come.