UK: From a market stall to recycling centre

A recycling business started by one man running a second-hand clothes stall in an East London has just opened a new recycling centre capable of handling 11,000 tonnes of textiles per year. Chris Carey’s Collections was founded 25 years ago, starting out on a market stall in Deptford, selling used textiles. Carey has grown the business into a thriving textile reuse and reprocessing company ? one of the largest in south east England. The company outgrew its premises, due to the volume of material being collected from local authorities, charity shops and commercial organisations in Greater London. The materials are sorted and reused for various purposes, from local reuse in schools and universities, to export markets. There is also a vintage boutique providing clothing for art and drama colleges and for film productions. Chris Carey?s Collections benefited from a £185,000 capital grant to assist with the relocation of premises and purchase of new machinery. The funding was awarded from the London Development Agency?s Economic Development Infrastructure Building (EDIB) project ? managed by London Waste Action, through the London Recycling Fund, in partnership with London Remade. With the EDIB funding, £1.5 million of private sector funds, general business mentoring from London Remade and personal investment from Carey, the company relocated to a 14,878 square foot self-contained site in Beckenham, in the London Borough of Bromley. The company now employs 169 staff, including 64 newly created jobs. Since expansion and relocation there has been a 15% increase in productivity, per staff member, in the processing of materials. Jim Perkins, Programme Manager, London Remade, said: ?Chris Carey Collections now has over 2,000 regular clients from the private sector, community groups and local authorities, and operates a fleet of 30 vehicles. The relocation has given the company a higher and cleaner profile, helping to win new major contracts.? www.londonremade.com