We are sad to say goodbye to Mike Croxford who died last Saturday.

Mike joined Wastesavers in 1994 when it was a small environmental education charity collecting paper from a limited number of households in Newport.

He had a profound effect on our organisation, developing our early relationship with Newport City Council to expand kerbside recycling collections and set up our furniture reuse operations.

To say he put Wastesavers on the map is an understatement.

When he first arrived we were recycling around 22 tonnes of paper a year. By the time he left, in 2006, Wastesavers employed 40 staff and recycled more than 10,000 tonnes of material a year.

He also established; our furniture reuse project, making goods available for the most disadvantaged people in Newport; a paint scheme keeping paint out of landfill; an alternative education programme for young people struggling in school and our Esperanto Way recycling depot .

Mike Croxford

Cllr David Mayer, current chair and a founder of Wastesavers writes; “Mike was the rock on which the current operation was founded. His wide knowledge of the recycling industry coupled with his enthusiasm, humour and innovation drove the company forward at a crucial time in our history.”

His legacy lives on today and we will remember him as much for his mischievous streak and deep laugh as his exceptional powers of persuasion bringing recycling into the 21st century.