PONTARDAWE-based Birch Farm Plastics Recycling celebrated 25 years of trading with an open day last month.

Marilyn Birch and husband Peter, founded the company - now the longest-running UK company in the sector - in 1989.

“It has certainly been an interesting 25 years, with many changes from the initial national collection scheme, to the current regulations on agricultural waste,” said Marilyn.

“With increasing pressure on the environment due to climate change, we offer a service to provide farmers a safe and financially viable way of managing their waste polythene.”

There are over 30 waste transfer stations and skip hire companies working with the Birch family, resulting in greater tonnages of waste plastic being diverted from landfill and being recycled

With the second generation of the family now at the helm, the firm has expanded to cover much of the UK and Ireland.

Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant said: “Birch Farm Plastics is a great example of a Welsh company seizing the economic benefits of waste.

“By turning farm film plastic into a valuable resource, they have created a thriving business, meeting demand from the farming industry.

“The Welsh Government has supported them to grow through the ARID fund, and their success in turning waste destined for landfill into a marketable product demonstrates the potential that recycling can offer to Welsh businesses.”