A RIBBLE Valley recycling firm has delivered a crushing blow to its rivals after an £80,000 investment in a new mobile shredding service.

RecycleIT, based at Time Technology Park in Blackburn Road, Simonstone, has created two new jobs thanks to the purchase of a new machine.

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The company, which provides IT disposal services, received an £18,000 grant from Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, which contributed towards the full cost of the expansion.

The money went towards a new hard drive shredding machine and a seven-and-a-half tonne vehicle with a solid base box allowing it to transport the shredder to a clients’ bases.

Robert Doherty, RecycleIT’s managing director, said: “Obviously for us this equipment represents an important investment as it means we can offer a broader range of services.

“It has created two new jobs now and with more to follow as we continue to grow.

“Shredding hard drives allows businesses and other organisations to meet stringent Government regulations which cover the disposal of IT equipment.

“This approach is important for many firms because they need to ensure any sensitive data contained on the drives is destroyed.

“The drives are crushed to a powder which can then be recycled.”

The growing firm, established in 2011, now employs 12 people and has established itself as one of the UK’s leading IT recycling specialists.

Mr Doherty said staff handled everything from collection to disposal and recycling in “a secure and environmentally sensitive way” in line with the European Commission’s directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

He added: “The machine is a very solid piece of equipment, capable of destroying a wide range of media.

“It can turn a hard drive into 6mm particles in a matter of minutes.

“The support from Regenerate helped us purchase the machine faster than we could have otherwise managed.”