Ecogen Recycling (previously known as Berkshire Associates UK Ltd) in February 2010, initially as a consultancy service to help customers achieve environmental accreditations with The Environment Agency.  His previous experience as Operations Manager for one of the largest plastic recycling companies in Hampshire stood him in good stead, and by 2012 William was able to leave his employment to work on Ecogen full-time.

With £1,500 working capital, William approached the T J Group, an ex-customer and one of the largest independent recycling companies on the South Coast, with a proposition to share one of their small loss-making sites in Winchester.  Such was the success of this partnership that by early 2014, both companies had outgrown the site, leading Ecogen to move to new, independent premises on New Farm Road, Alresford.  To this day, we still handle all the paper and plastic recycling for the T J Group, and owe them greatly for their support during our initial years.

As a company, we achieved a 99.76% recycling rate in 2016/17, with 100% of all materials recovered and 0.24% going on to become RDF (Refused Derived Fuel) rather than being sent to landfill.  We believe we have one of the highest recycling rates of any company in the UK.

From humble beginnings, we now handle over 3,000 metric tons of cardboard, paper and plastic material every month.  We employ 18 full time staff and have a turnover exceeding £3m.  Investment in the latest, most eco-friendly and energy efficient recycling equipment now exceeds £1m (paid for with money earned, not borrowed), and our investment in site improvements totals £300,000.

William still runs the day-to-day operation, with support from commercial director James Lewis, operations manager Toby Mottram, and accounts director (and William's wife) Megan.  We are always looking to grow the business and add value to our customers, be that through better equipment, new premises or greater operational efficiencies.