The UK“s Viridor Waste Management, based in St. Helens, Merseyside, has acquired MAC Glass Recycling, considered Scotland“s largest independent glass reprocessor.
The sole shareholder of Mac Glass,…
The UK“s Viridor Waste Management, based in St. Helens, Merseyside, has acquired MAC Glass Recycling, considered Scotland“s largest independent glass reprocessor. The sole shareholder of Mac Glass, Managing director Brian McBride, who founded the Midlothian-based company in 1983, stands to make around GBP 1 million after costs on the deal. Brian McBride and his son, James, will stay at the company as group area manager and Scottish operations manager, respectively. James McBride said that after 21 years of family ownership, the time was right to become part of a larger, national group. “We“ve reached a point where things are going very well, but the necessary expansion and growth is going to cost a lot,” he said. “As part of Viridor, we can continue to do what we do well but with the backing of a lot more resources.” Mac Glass, which is likely to be rebranded as Viridor, specialises in container glass recycling, and counts 10 Scottish and two English local authorities among a number of large commercial and industrial clients. The firm employs about 25 and posted income of about GBP 0.7 million to the end of November 2003, according to the most recently available accounts. Viridor, a subsidiary of water and waste management company the Pennon Group, focuses on flat glass for use in the fiber wool industry. It has had a strong presence in Scotland since it bought waste collection and recycling company EnviroScot for GBP 19 million. According to Viridor chief executive Colin Drummond, the acquisition is in line with the group“s strategy of expanding its waste management activities, particularly in the areas of waste treatment and materials recycling. He said that Viridor will now move its existing recycling unit at Wishaw in North Lanarkshire to Mac Glass“s base at Cockpen in Midlothian, with the aim of achieving a five-fold increase in the amount of waste glass being processed within 12 months. The group is also planning to invest in new optical sorting equipment for the site, with the aim of improving final product quality.