24
Mehta, Bird, Alssema lead this year’s list
R e c y c l i n g I n t e r n a t i o n a l ’s 2 0 2 4 To p 1 0 0
RI’s fourth edition of recycling’s most inspiring
people and practices from around the world is
here. What started in 2021 with a simple idea
has become an annual highlight that more and
more recyclers look forward to.
This year’s Top 100 kicks off with
Sanjay Mehta, president of India’s
recycling industry body MRAI and
director at one of the country’s larg-
est scrap metal recycling companies,
MTC Group. Putting him of the No. 1
reflects India being a recycling nation
of ever-growing importance.
No. 2 is one of the 37 newcomers in
our list: Amy Bird, who runs
Countrywide Metals Recycling and
Connolley Metals in the UK. Former
fashion model Bird strongly promotes
the recycling industry as a career
choice for the next generation.
Another new name in RI’s Top 100 is
Henk Alssema of Vita Plastics in the
Netherlands. These are difficult times
for the global plastics recycling sector
with ever-more businesses going
bust. In his role as BIR plastics division
chair, Alssema has been urging strong
action to prevent the collapse of cru-
cial recycling infrastructure.
GOOD TO KNOW
As with previous editions, the 2024
list is not ranked by scrap volume or
company turnover. Put simply, it con-
tains people who we believe are mak-
ing the difference, are an example or
inspiration to others, or stand out
from the crowd.WHO’S WHO IN THE TOP 100?
Metals recyclers continue to take the lead by some
margin. However, plastics and electronics recyclers
are gaining momentum. It’s also worth noting that
women in scrap have claimed 31 places amongst
these global leaders. And nearly one-in-five are
from family owned businesses. More than a third
of the 100 are from the USA.
Metals: 48
Plastics: 12
E-scrap: 16
Batteries: 5
Textiles: 4
Paper: 4
Rubber: 2
Niches: C&D (1), glass (1), carbon fibre (1), foot-
wear (1) and medical waste (1)
Family owners: 18
Women: 31
Innovators/consultants: 4
Traders: 5
WHERE ARE THE
LEADERS FROM?
Total countries: 34
New markets: Kenya and
Columbia
Top five countries represented:
USA: 26
UK: 9
Belgium: 8
The Netherlands: 8
Germany: 5
Honourable mentions: UAE (4),
India (4), France (4), South Africa
(3) and Singapore (3)
A U T H O R S Kirstin Linnenkoper, Martijn Reintjes
#43
ONLY WINNERS
An important aspect to underline is
that RI’s Top 100 is not a winner-
takes-all ranking event. Everyone in
the list is a winner, whether they are
at number 1, 37 or 99. Nor is it a stat-
ic list because we publish the Top 100
annually. Each year, we want to make
it more wide-ranging and comprehen-
sive so, if you’re not in the list this
time, you may well be included next
year.
#2
#5
24-25_top100-intro.indd 24 21-11-2024 09:39
