Circular Economy (trading as Waste Not) was formed in 2019 in response to the realisation that much of the material taken to the county’s Household Recycling Centres was perfectly usable and saleable. We started up just be by harvesting this material and selling it from a shed on the site.
We have grown since then. We were fortunate to be able to obtain a grant from Welsh Government, specifically aimed at promoting re-use, and this enabled us to buy and refurbish a shop in the middle of Newtown.
We currently sell goods from the Waste Not shop, in Broad Street, Newtown, and from our “Salvage Shed”, located on the Newtown Household Recycling Centre.
Our Salvage Shed acts as our collection point, receiving and intercepting goods arriving at the HRC before they end up in the skips, and also as a sales outlet, where visitors to the HRC can browse and purchase the goods we have rescued.
Our staff comprise both paid staff and volunteers. The income that we make from the sale of goods is just sufficient to pay the wages of our waged staff, meaning that other than the grant to buy the shop, we are no longer dependent on grants for our continued operation.
We are currently a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with a board of three volunteer directors. These are
Suzanne Wardell
After a successful career in the textile industry in both creative and managerial roles, Suzanne was appointed CEO of Circular Economy Mid Wales is June 2022. She was invited to join the board of directors in September 2023 after leaving the CEO position to concentrate on her ongoing role within the Church in Wales. Born and bred in Montgomeryshire, she is passionate about the local economy as well as the countryside, and is deeply involved with choral music in the county.
John Harrington
Now retired, I have long had an interest in social enterprises and the contribution they can make especially in a time of climate emergency.
I was a founder member of the Cae Post project here in north Powys and also served as a director and chair. Cae Post was set up to provide work opportunities to those with additional support needs and took on plastic recycling as one of its early activities. It eventually managed the first Materials Recycling Facility in Powys and pioneered curbside recyling in the area. Working with Circular Economy Mid Wales builds on that recycling experience and extends it to reuse and repair.
Jeremy Brignell-Thorp
In addition to being on the board of Circular Economy Mid Wales, Jeremy is also the Powys County Councillor for Montgomery and Forden, and within the council is the cabinet assistant for the Climate Emergency. He is also Retrofit Assessor and part of the team that set up Cartrefi Clyd, and partnership of not-for-profit enterprises across Wales that are delivering independent impartial home energy efficiency advice under the Green Homes Wales scheme. Previous to this, he spent many years working for a social enterprise helping communities to develop renewable energy cooperatives.