SWEEEP, one of the country's leading waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) recyclers, has this week entered into a multi-million pound joint venture with Kuusakoski OY. Moving forward, the business will be known as SWEEEP/Kuusakoski and aims to continue to raise the bar on waste electronics recycling in the UK.
With headquarters at Espoo in Finland, Kuusakoski has grown into one of the world's most prominent industrial recycling organisations, with almost a century of metals recycling experience. By investing in SWEEEP, Kuusakoski is looking to build upon its existing presence in the UK, where it presently recycles stainless steel in Sheffield.
Based in the Thames Gateway in Sittingbourne, SWEEEP has invested more than £6.5 million in its facility since its inception to create one of the most advanced WEEE recycling centres in the UK.
Patrick Watts, managing director of SWEEEP, is delighted with the news and commented:
"At SWEEEP, we are passionate about the WEEE recycling process and that philosophy is very much shared by Kuusakoski, probably the world's leading experts in WEEE recycling and non-ferrous metals. Together, we offer 43 years experience in e-waste, so our intention is to continue to raise the bar on electronics recycling.
"Since the legislation was unveiled in July 2007, we have made great strides in the UK in terms of dealing with WEEE in a sustainable manner.
"Yet, there is so much more we could be doing as a nation. With Kuusakoski on-board, it is our ambition to grow our business and improve the performance of UK plcs' WEEE response. Our customer base will only benefit from this move and we look forward to continuing to offer a complete capability across the country."
Timo Kuusakoski, managing director of Kuusakoski OY, noted: "SWEEEP is one of the UK's leading WEEE organisations and we see in the team a perfect fit with our own aspirations in the UK marketplace. As a result of this venture, we're now able to offer a truly pan-European solution."
SWEEEP offers a total WEEE collection and processing service, as an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility, for blue chip organisations and compliance schemes. This joint venture will see Kuusakoski add to SWEEEP's advanced processing capacity.