For this months ‘Day in the Life’, we’re back at Bunny Lane for a catch up with our Waste Management Director, Andy Brown, who tells us what it’s like running the busy recycling centre in Timsbury, Romsey.

Q. Describe your role at Waltet  – your job title and what the role entails.
A: I oversee the ‘day-to-day’ running of the Bunny Lane site; my main responsibility is to ensure a safe working day with the welfare of our customers and staff being top of the list – my overall priority is to make sure the team go home safe, and in one piece, every night!

Q: How long have you been working at Waltet?
A: Well, I’m definitely part of the Waltet furniture – I’ve been here for over 16 years now! I originally joined to head up the Skip side of the business before moving to the Nursling office to run the Transport and Sales team. From there, I moved across to Alton where I was for five years before we sold the site; I’ve now been at Bunny Lane for a glorious three years!

Q: What’s the first task you usually tackle when you arrive at the office? How do you prioritise tasks for the day? Do you have a specific routine for planning your work?
A: I never know what I’m coming into, every morning is a surprise! I’ll usually grab a coffee, catch up with Sophie and Bev and then (attempt to) follow the ‘to do’ list that I put together the night before. I always make sure I end the day with a plan for the next day, I find it really helps to keep me on track.

As my days are so varied, I’m often reacting to what’s happening that day. I’m in my office a lot but I do usually cover the Operators breaks, which gets me out and about on the site. It’s great to catch up with the team outside of my office walls!

Q: What are your favourite aspects of the job?
A: Every day that passes by without a machinery breakdown is my favourite part of the job 😉 

Q: Can you share an example of a recent accomplishment you’ve had in your role?
A: We always like to think outside of the box and push new areas of the business – we are launching an exciting new product line in March this year and we’re all working really hard to get that ready to go!

Q: What are the main challenges you typically encounter in your role, and how do you overcome them?
A: Making Bunny Lane into even more of a success is top of my list at the moment, last year was fantastic and we had some record months so we are just pushing forward to continue on this.

New changes and legislations are all part and parcel of the job – the Environmental Agency rule changes affect every one in our industry and we just have to diversify and jump the hurdles to ensure we stay compliant, keep everyone happy and all the boxes ticked.

Q: What is it like working with the team at Waltet?
A: It’s a real pleasure – we have a great bunch of people here at Waltet.

Q: Do you have any opportunities for professional development or learning as part of your job?
A:  There are lots of opportunities for professional development here; I recently went on a Fire Marshall Course which was informative. We’ve also been working with staff on mindset and mental wellbeing – it’s crucial in our line of work, where a lot of the time the guys are out driving all day by themselves, so having a good team around you is so important. 

Q:In your opinion what three words describe Waltet as a business?
A: Successful. Happy. Professional.

Q: Share a fact about you that may surprise people.
A:  When I am not at work I am an avid golfer, I play every Saturday all year round. And I’m also partial to a quiz night!

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