3recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2019
Recycling is still a man’s world, on the
whole. After all, you don’t see that many
women running scrapyards. Of course,
there are women in back office and man-
agement positions but yard work is pri-
marily done by men.
And it’s still a man’s world in the trading
part of the industry. The latest BIR con-
vention attracted 900-plus delegates to
Hungary’s capital Budapest of whom
only a handful were women. I didn’t
count them but, trust me, they were far
in the minority. Five per cent, maybe
ten, no more.
True, things are changing for the better,
as in most sectors. Compared to 20
years ago, say, the industry is enjoying a
more female touch. But it’s nothing rev-
olutionary yet.
We at Recycling International are strong
promoters of more women entering the
industry and you could argue we do our
best to set a good example. A couple of
years ago this magazine ran a series of
articles dubbed ‘Women in Recycling’.
The publishing business is dominated by
women. In our small team I am the only
male. Actually, it’s two, but Robin
Latchem is a freelancer working from
London.
I must say, generally, I enjoy working
with women. You could say they keep
things in balance, especially in terms of
the content. Every time I suggest a
cover photo for an issue that shows
another typical scrap recycler or yard
operator in typical outfit (safety helmet,
safety jacket), the standard reply from
the ladies is: ‘Why always men, Martijn?
Why never a woman?’ My standard reply
is: ‘Because it’s mostly men running the
yards, doing the heavy work and getting
their hands dirty.’
But there ARE plenty of women who
make a difference in recycling. Women
like Maja Muškinja, logistics manager at
Steel Impex in Serbia, who is committed
to her job and the industry. Recycling
International recently visited the compa-
ny’s main scrapyard (see article on pages
18-21) and Maja was more then happy
to be on the cover of the final issue of
2019.
And, of course, my colleagues were
happy too.
Martijn Reintjes
Chief Editor, Recycling International
Recycling International
Informaticaweg 3
7007 CP Doetinchem
The Netherlands
EDITORIAL
The female touch
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03_viewpointchiefeditor.indd 3 14-11-19 08:54
