The UK's largest independent mattress recycler has come to the aid of a number of former employees of the fated Remploy factory in South Wales as part of a £2.4million Welsh Government initiative.
JBS Fibre Recovery, which has depots across the UK, has partnered with Bridgend County Borough Council and the Department for Work and Pensions to offer employment to 11 ex-staff members, all of which are registered disabled, of the Maesteg-based factory which ceased production last month.
The firm which specialises in diverting waste from landfill by ensuring that every component used in the manufacture of mattresses is recycled, reused, or used to generate energy from waste, has pledged its commitment to employing the group of recently redundant staff for a minimum of four years at its Bridgend site which officially launched earlier this year.
JBS Fibre Recovery has joined together with Bridgend County Borough Council and the DWP as part of the Employer Support Grant Scheme, an initiative launched by the Welsh Government to create sustainable posts and help eligible disabled Remploy workers find alternative, and meaningful, employment. In return for offering job opportunities, employers are provided with contributions towards wage costs as well as support in undertaking any necessary workplace modifications.
John Neill, Operations Director at JBS Fibre Recovery, said: "We are delighted to be able to offer much needed employment to the team of former Remploy staff and we are very much looking forward to welcoming them on board. As a firm, we are hugely committed to providing employment opportunities to those within the localities in which we our based and, in particular, to helping those within minority groups into mainstream employment.
"Our dedicated facility in Bridgend only opened a few weeks ago and already we have deals in place with six local authorities across Wales which will see us process in excess of 90,000 mattresses a year. This additional recruitment drive will put us in fantastic stead to hit the ground running!"
JBS Fibre Recovery uses a bespoke five-stage process to achieve its 100% recycling or reuse rate, and works alongside stakeholders in both the public and private sector, including national brands Argos, Silent Night, and Travelodge, as well as providing the service on a domestic scale. It currently recycles over 800,000 mattresses a year - with this figure set to hit one million in the coming months - diverting over 20,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.
Councillor Phil White, Cabinet Member for Communities at Bridgend County Borough Council, said: "This is excellent news and I am really happy for the former Remploy staff who have been able to find new work thanks to this scheme."
JBS Fibre Recovery Ltd is the largest independent national mattress recycler in the UK and specialises in diverting waste from landfill by ensuring that every component used in the manufacture of mattresses is recycled, reused, or used to generate energy from waste. With depots across the UK, the firm currently recycles over 800,000 mattresses nationwide a year, diverting over 20,000 tonnes from landfill, for clients across a variety of sectors, including local authorities, retail and the domestic market.