Recycling Stars of Hexham

Train carriages and personal photographs are just a few of the strange items the team at Hexham Recycling have seen arrive at the site to be recycled.

These weird items are a small fraction of the 1200 tonnes of scrap metal arriving at the site to be recycled every day.

And among the workforce that keeps these operations going is a group of dedicated women who are employed across a range of roles. From belt pickers, truck drivers, to forklift and bob cat operators, they all value the opportunities they’ve received since starting their roles with InfraBuild.

As one of the site’s longest serving female employees, truck driver Amanda East says she finds one of the most rewarding aspects of her job the customer interactions.

“The customers appreciate my personal interactions – it creates a better customer experience,” she said.

“The best thing about working at Hexham is that everyone respects each other. Everyone works as a team – which makes the yard flow perfectly.”

Belt picker Ellie Pullman says the team dynamic is something she really values and it’s a view shared by forklift and bob cat operator Courtney Thomas, who cites the best aspects of working at the site are stability, the people and the culture.

Meanwhile, for fellow belt picker Bernadette Croft, who has only worked at the site for around a month, it is the long-term career opportunities available with InfraBuild that she values most. The standouts in her short time with the business, have been operating a forklift and other machinery, as well as the opportunity to upskill and obtain her tickets.

The InfraBuild Recycling site at Hexham is open for all drop-offs of scrap metal and steel. The site is open five days – from Mon to Fri 7.30am to 4.00pm.

Image L-R: Courtney Thomas, Bernadette Croft, Ellie Pullman and Amanda East