74
Sioned Thomas.
Calling all ‘binfluencers’
Sioned Thomas (29), who has the nick-
name ‘Binfluencer’, considers herself
lucky to have made the top three of
the 35 under-35 recycling innovators
list which was announced at the annu-
al RWM tradeshow in Birmingham in
the autumn. The business develop-
ment specialist at Recorra is proud to
have contributed to helping put the
company back on its feet following
the pandemic.
‘For us, 2022 was a crazy comeback
year. Our operations were reduced by
more than half in 2021, earning only
about EUR 8 million. It was all hands
on deck,’ recalls Thomas, who leads
the tender team that won several new
contracts. ‘The hard work paid off. We
tripled our activities in under a year,
making about EUR 20 million, and got
all our money back. This year, we’re
looking at a turnover of about EUR 25
million.’
Thomas has taken on different roles at
Recorra. ‘I started out as an account
manager, now I am head of tenders
and also leading the marketing
department. It all goes hand-in-hand,
really.’ She argues: ‘It’s important to
keep learning. That’s why I never say:
“Oh, that’s not my job”. I prefer look-
ing at it from the perspective of what I
can do to make things work better.
For me, that leads to natural growth.’
Speaking of new projects, Thomas is
promoting a campaign on battery
safety due to concerns over discarded
vapes. They pose a new headache for
the sector as consumers tend to put
them into the general waste. ‘We’ve
had several fires in the UK caused by
car batteries and now MRFs are telling
us that vapes are commonly sighted in
the mixed waste. It’s only a matter of
time before they set off the next
alarm. We’re always looking for new
problem items to recycle.’
Recorra started off as a charity in
1988, funded by Friends of the Earth.
‘Sustainability is our lifeblood and
flows through everything we do.
We’re not in recycling because it’s
cool or to impress customers.’
Thomas understands the power of
social media to reach a wider audi-
ence. ‘I’ve assembled a team within
the organisation to promote our vid-
eos and infographics. They have a big
and active network on LinkedIn and
Instagram we’re now putting to good
use. We’ve even started a TikTok
channel. It’s a bit of an adventure but
we’ve really got the ball rolling in
terms of engagement.’
She acknowledges that recycling can
be a ‘kind of dry’ topic. ‘The challenge
is making it matter to people and
expanding your reach to get new cli-
ents on board. That’s why I’m working
on making our sector more relatable
and making content easy to share.
‘You can be a leader in the industry
but, if no one knows what you’re up
to, you’re holding yourself back.
Recyclers have to get used to being
their own cheerleaders.’
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