A pioneering environmental services and transport firm has invested more than half a million pounds in new machinery, and is calling for a 'waste revolution'.

Eastern Daily Press: Drury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured is the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMOREDrury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured is the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMORE (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

North Walsham-based Drury's, which includes Drury's Transport and Drury's Environmental Services, wants greater government support for waste disposal in the UK.

It would help cut down the carbon footprint for waste currently shipped abroad for thermal treatment, according to company director Alister Wait, and allow more to be recycled.

The call comes after a string of investments which saw it install a £190,000 waste picking plant – to sort rubbish from skips – and take on two smaller transport companies.

Investing in the new plant, said Mr Wait, is how the firm is 'adding value' to waste, allowing crushed building materials to be sold on as rubble for construction.

Eastern Daily Press: Drury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured are Alister Wait, Director and Kevin Robotham, company secretary with the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMOREDrury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured are Alister Wait, Director and Kevin Robotham, company secretary with the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMORE (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

'Our aim is to be landfill-free,' said Mr Wait, who was brought on board last year to drive the environmental services side of the business.

'At this present time our waste has to go out of the county. It gets sent to Ipswich, which leaves a massive carbon footprint.'

The investment in machinery and transport vehicles has helped annual turnover across the group reach £5.5m, with the waste management side expected to grow from £1.5m last year to between £1.8m and £1.9m next year.

The business, which employs 52 people, is expected to grow by 12% over the next five years, and further investments could include a waste power plant.

Eastern Daily Press: Drury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured is the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMOREDrury's in North Walsham which is celebrating it's 70th year in business. Pictured is the newly installed the Materials Recovery Facility. Picture: MARK BULLIMORE (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

'As we build up relationships with the local community and as the town wants to expand we need to look at different ways of powering the town,' said Mr Wait.

'We need to educate people that thermal processing of waste is not a bad thing.'

Company secretary Kevin Robotham said: 'We can't afford to stand still because we have competitors. We have got to make the business more efficient and strive to send less waste to landfill.'

Drury's was founded in 1946 by Billy Drury, who started a small livestock haulage firm from a yard in Southrepps.

It moved to its current home in 1983, which allowed the business to expand into warehousing.

Now it runs a 21-strong fleet of vehicles across the UK, and recently invested in a new MOT facility for vehicles including articulated trucks, trailers and camper vans.

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