The contract, which is worth around £6m, will run until April 2018. Lenham, Kent-based Countrystyle is providing resource management services for around 30,000 tonnes of material per year arising from the machine, which is situated at paper-based packaging giant Smurfit Kappa’s Townsend Hook site in Snodland, Kent.
Materials handled will include ragger rope, small and heavy rejects, fine rejects, plastics and sand.
Countrystyle is also providing total waste management services for all non-processed waste streams at the Snodland site.
Prior to the contract being awarded, Countrystyle and Smurfit Kappa worked together on the design of specialist containers which better fit the designated waste collection area.
Each waste stream is collected separately by Countrystyle’s own fleet of vehicles and transported to various treatment and disposal sites including Countrystyle’s own recycling facility in Ridham, where materials are sorted and then packaged for onwards processing.
Smurfit Kappa purchasing manager Malcolm Wright said: “We are pleased to be working with Countrystyle as we know that they are specialists in their field, using experience and innovation to tackle difficult waste streams such as ragger rope.
“We are confident that they will deliver our goal of 100% diversion from landfill, bringing with it both environmental and financial benefits for Smurfit Kappa.”
Countrystyle said it believes it won the contract due to its ability to provide complete recycling and waste management services as well as its ability to provide bespoke services tailored to the client.
Countrystyle managing director Chris Howard said: “This contract cements our relationship with Smurfit Kappa and justifies our significant investment in aiding the recovered paper sector in the recycling and reuse of by-products from its processes.”
Earlier this year Countrystyle secured contracts to provide recycling services for Pureprint Group in Uckfield, Headley Brothers in Ashford and Mastercolour in Tunbridge Wells.
The print industry is a new area for Countrystyle, which handles over 500,000 tonnes of waste from over 2,000 customers every year, but had not worked with any print businesses prior to 2015.
The business, which was established in 1996, continues to expand its operations to provide recycling and resource management for local authorities, businesses and the general public.
