Entrepreneur Richard Baines invests six-figure sum in green company

Autohorn chairman to help drive Business Waste to national success

Richard Baines, chairman of York-based vehicle hire and leasing company Autohorn has invested a six-figure sum in a local company to help it expand to its full potential and create new jobs.

Ilkley’s BusinessWaste.co.uk – the UK’s fastest-growing commercial waste company – is set to move its headquarters to purpose-built premises in York, and has plans to recruit new staff as a result of the new funding.

BusinessWaste.co.uk is committed to reducing waste being sent to Britain’s already close-to-capacity landfill sites and helps its clients to increase their recycling levels while helping local businesses reduce their costs, an enlightened attitude which attracted the Autohorn chairman.

“We pride ourselves on being a long-established environmentally-friendly company, and BusinessWaste.co.uk is the perfect match for us,” said Richard Baines. “Their competitive prices and green credentials are an exciting combination that can only lead to further company growth.”

“I love York, and I want our city to be the greenest in the world, and that made us want to be part of the Business Waste success story,” he said.

Launched in 2013 by Ilkley-based businessman Mark Hall, BusinessWaste.co.uk has grown rapidly to challenge established industry leaders in a competitive market through a mix of competitive prices and old-fashioned customer service with a national reach.

BusinessWaste.co.uk helps companies keep their waste costs down to a bare minimum with a clever computerised pricing system, while advising companies on increasing their recycling rates. Increased recycling rates actually save companies money, and it’s that coupled with the competitive pricing structure that has fuelled the company’s meteoric rise.

The new investment and a planned annual turnover of £5.9m sees the creation of up to thirty new jobs in the York area, Business Waste’s Mark Hall says.

“That wouldn’t be possible without the help of Richard Baines and Autohorn,” he says. “They’ve allowed us to move to our new base in York, and their faith in us means we can take Business Waste to the next level.”

As part of its continuing expansion, BusinessWaste.co.uk has recruited David Adams as its new managing director and shareholder. Adams is one of the most experienced executives in the national waste industry, and comes from spells working at Veolia and Green Star.

Adams says: “I was offered a great opportunity to join this team, and I’ll be overseeing Business Waste as it uses a superb mix of innovation, technology and gold old-fashioned customer care to make waste management better, not just in York, but across the whole country.

“They may be the new boys in the trade, but they’ve already proved that they’re more than a match for the industry big boys.”

Autohorn already provides 200 jobs locally, and chairman Richard Baines is delighted that his investment in Business Waste is going to create more employment opportunities.

“We can’t wait to start working with BusinessWaste.co.uk,” he says. “They’re a young, energetic company and a credit to Yorkshire. We’re certain they’re going to be world-beaters, and we want our city to be at the very heart of it.”

BusinessWaste.co.uk recently – and successfully – called upon authorities in England to follow the examples of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to introduce charges for supermarket carrier bags and reduce the massive waste and environmental damage they cause. It’s a campaign that is on the verge of victory.