The 1st November marked 25 years since HW Martin – whose headquarters are in Derbyshire – diversified into recycling and waste management services. Owner Harold William Martin started by providing commercial fencing to engineering contractors and District Councils in 1972. Fast forward to today, and the Martin Group of Companies is a trusted supplier to National Highway, Network Rail, the nuclear industry, the military, local authorities and businesses across the breadth of the UK. It employs 1,500 people nationally across 15 companies. Specialist services include recycling, engineering design and manufacture, ecology surveys, commercial security and safety fencing, consulting, industry specific vehicles and plant hire, fleet maintenance and vegetation management.
In 1999, the Martin Group began providing waste haulage services and won a significant contract to manage the transport of recyclable materials from the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in South Yorkshire. HW Martin Waste Ltd was formed. The first local authority contract was won in 2003 – managing a network of HWRCs across Northamptonshire. Substantial controlled growth followed, accompanied by diversification into mechanical processing of recyclables. This has culminated in a specialist recycling and management organisation that manages approximately 750,000 tonnes annually of recyclables and waste on behalf of local authority clients. In 2023, the company secured the contract to manage the HWRCs for the three South Yorkshire Councils that kicked things off 25 years ago.
HW Martin Waste Ltd works with 25 local authorities in total and employs 500 staff nationwide. It has become a well-known name in the sector. The company also aims to positively impact the communities in which it operates by using local suppliers, offering apprenticeships and working with local charities. In contrast to our nearest rivals, HW Martin Waste Ltd is proud to be one of the largest, UK-owned suppliers of such specialist services where profits are invested back into the UK economy to enhance future growth and employment prospects.
Declan Northcliffe, Operations Director for HW Martin Waste Ltd’s Leeds and Derbyshire facilities started out as a haulage driver back in 1999. He said:
“What the company has achieved over this period has been phenomenal. But it has only been achieved because of the hard work, dedication and team effort from everyone involved.”
Robin Akers, Managing Director of the Martin Group of Companies has been employed by the group for 33 years and was instrumental in the growth of the waste management business. He said:
“I echo the words of our chairman, Harold Martin, we have exceptional people and that enables to deliver exceptional levels of service.”