Riverside sells waste shredding division

SPECIALIST recycling and waste management equipment supplier Riverside Waste Machinery has seen its waste shredding division bought out by an Austrian manufacturer.

UNTHA UK has acquired the Boroughbrige-based business, which will be rebranded.

UNTHA said it had been attracted to Riverside because of its strong performance in the UK.

Riverside’s founder and managing director Chris Oldfield has taken the role of UNTHA UK managing director, together with Peter Streinik, UNTHA’s head of sales.

The Riverside Waste Machinery brand will continue to be led by Jonathan Oldfield, but will focus solely upon waste balers.

Chris Oldfield said: “This is a very exciting time for us. Riverside has come a long way since its inception in 1997 and we’ve been able to work in some very complex markets.

“But as we spot more and more opportunities in the UK’s waste and recycling industry, it makes sense to collaborate our resources, technical knowledge and client expertise, so that we can offer an unparalleled level of product and service.

“We’ve set aside half a million pounds for sales and marketing development next year, so the next 12 months are going to be very big for us.”

UNTHA’s chief executive Alois Kitzberger said: “We have known for some time that the UK is an incredibly lucrative marketplace. We have seen the successes that Riverside has had and look forward to being able to add value to their UK offering. We believe the level of service that we will now be able to provide clients throughout the UK, will be unrivalled.

“Chris’s ever-growing network of UK engineering contacts and our own contacts in other countries will remain very important.

“UNTHA UK will concentrate on what it does best – waste shredding – but by working with these engineering partners we will be able to recommend and offer complete waste solutions.”