Yesterday (Wednesday 4 December 2019), Brewster Bros, a family-run business in Livingston, West Lothian, achieved double success at The Herald’s Scottish Family Business Awards 2019, winning the Business Innovation Award as the recycling plant continues to play a huge part in meeting Scotland’s ambition to be a world leader on tackling climate change.
Last night was a double award win for Brewster Bros at The Herald Family Business Awards 2019!
Managing Director Scott and his dad, Operations Director Alex, picked up the Business Innovation Awards for Brewster Bros while Plant Manager, Malcolm Livingstone was presented with the first ever Scottish Family Business Recognition award for his 35 years of loyal service to the Brewster family business.
Malcolm Livingstone also joined father and son owners Alex Brewster and Scott Brewster on the winners’ rostrum as he picked up the first ever Scottish Family Business Recognition Award for his 35 years loyal service to the family business.
Since opening the recycling plant in September 2018, Brewster Bros has led the way in shaping the future of the recycling industry across Scotland and this award demonstrates the impact they’ve made across the Scottish construction sector.
The plant, the largest recycling plant of its type in the UK, has provided waste management services and recycled aggregates to builders, construction companies, concrete product producers, ground workers, civil contractors and utility contractors for over a year now from its new high-tech facility in Scotland’s central belt.
As well as retaining all staff from the previous family owner, Brewster Bros has taken on seven new staff since September 2018 and the plant is on target to double turnover within the first two years of opening. The £3.8m investment in the recycling centre last year included a £2.1m spend on high efficiency CDE equipment, with a capacity to recycle 400,000 tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste per year.
There has been continued investment in the plant since opening in 2018, including six new Scania tipper lorries, new Komatsu loading shovel and a filter press. The filter press allows Brewster Bros and the recycling plant to produce an engineering clay product rather than a residual waste, this clay can then be used as an impermeable liner or as a general cohesive fill material.
Scott Brewster, Director at Brewster Bros, said:
“Since opening the recycling plant last year, our number one aim is to treat and recycle construction and demolition waste as a resource, ensuring zero waste to landfill and I believe we are meeting this aim and will continue to do so over the coming years.
“Winning the Business Innovation Award is a real recognition of what we’ve achieved in our first year of operating and it’s very special as a family business to be part of the prestigious Herald Family Business Awards. We were also shortlisted for several other industry awards this year to further complement our aims to reshape how construction waste is recycled in Scotland and the UK.
“We were delighted to see Malcolm collect a well-deserved Recognition Award, his dedicated years of service to Brewster Bros has been exceptional and he continues to be a trusted and fantastic part of our family business.”
The new facility also supports the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy ‘Making Things Last’, which aims to secure 70% recycling of construction and demolition waste by 2020.
All recycled materials from the plant will come with a quality certification and conform to the requirements for the BREEAM Sustainability Assessment Method for Construction.