East Anglian waste management firm secures £1.8 million funding
Julian Knights (left) with Unity Trust Bank relationship manager, Andy Ball (right). - Credit: Radical Waste Group
A Beccles waste management firm has secured £1.8 million of funding to help expand its sustainable practices.
Radical Waste Group was founded in 2015 by former surveyor Julian Knights and has received the funding thanks to a refinance package from Unity Trust Bank.
Mr Knights was inspired to transform a skip hire business following renovation work on his home.
Julian has used the funding to consolidate the company's debt, install solar panels and create new office space. - Credit: Radical Waste Group
He said: “When I was having building work done on my house, I realised a lot of the stuff in the skip had value.
“I then watched a documentary about what we do with waste and I became really interested in the subject.
“After a bit of research, I left my job in commercial real estate and bought a skip hire company on the Norfolk/Suffolk border with the aim of recycling all of the materials that are received.
“Our vision is to ‘end waste in all that we do’ and we only work with commercial customers that share our ethos. We have a very good duty of care and know where all of the materials go."
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The funding has been used to consolidate the company's debt, install solar panels and create new office space.
In addition, Radical Waste Group has secured planning permission for a small-scale energy plant, and Mr Knights hope it will start generating power later this year.
Julian said: “Our aim is to become a self-sustainable site, providing power and heat to our processes while also recovering and recycling materials in a better way. If it can’t be recycled, we want to be able to turn it into power.”
Radical Waste Group currently employs 20 people and has a turnover of £2.65 million.
Unity Trust Bank is a specialist business bank. Relationship manager, Andy Ball, said: “We work with businesses that address social, economic and environmental needs in local communities and we were delighted to support Radical Waste Group.
“Julian has turned a regular skip hire company into one that eliminates waste through recycling and reuse, which is better for the environment, and has helped boost the local economy through job creation.”
Julian Knights founded Radical Waste Group in 2015. - Credit: Radical Waste Group
