About Us
Over a decade of operations in recycling hard-to-recycle plastic
Impact Recycling was founded in 2014 to take BOSS separation technology from the laboratory to commercial scale. Our story is best told through what we've built — operating plants, partnerships and licensing deals .
Our journey
Milestones from 2014 to today.
Scroll through the key moments in Impact Recycling's development — from spin-out, to first commercial plant, to international licensing partners.
2014
Impact Recycling founded
Established as a spin-out from Impact Laboratories (ILL) with the aim of taking BOSS from a laboratory-scale concept to a commercially viable business. Since inception IR holds the exclusive worldwide licence in perpetuity on BOSS technology and all IP developments since 2014.
2016
BOSS Technology commercialised & developed
The Baffled Oscillation Separation System moved from proof-of-concept into a production-ready separation platform for hard-to-recycle mixed rigid waste plastic.
2017
Current management join
The executive leadership team driving today's commercial and licensing strategy makes an investment to establish the first plant in Newcastle and takes a 50% ownership stake in the business.
2018
First commercial sale
Newcastle (UK) plant opened with 5000 tonne capacity using BOSS-3D — Impact Recycling's first commercial site processing post-consumer mixed rigid waste plastic at scale.
Newcastle Plant · BOSS-3D
2019
£2.5m equity raise
Equity investment from IW Capital to scale Newcastle operations and accelerate commercial roll-out of the BOSS tech.
IW Capital
Read announcement →2020
Purecycle licence BOSS technology
First major licence deal with Purecycle Technologies Inc. (USA) for the BOSS technology, validating BOSS as a licensable technology platform.
PCT
2021
£4.6m grants secured
Grant funding from the EU and Innovate UK supporting R&D, plant development and circular-economy programmes.
EU · Innovate UK
Read announcement →2022
Glasgow Plant for medical waste plastic opens & £2.6m equity raise
Glasgow Plant opened for mixed waste plastic feedstock from medical and healthcare (BOSS- Medical ) alongside a further £2.6m equity round from IW Capital.
Glasgow Plant · BOSS-Medical · IW Capital
2023
£1.5m equity from LG Chem
Strategic equity investment from LG Chem for a 4% stake in the business, deepening Impact Recycling's international partnerships in the polymer industry.
LG Chem
2023
£7m Nestle backing for new UK PCR film recycling plant.
Nestle provided £7 million in debt for the development of a new 20,000 tonne facility in Durham (UK) for household collections of post-consumer waste plastic film. The plant will use the BOSS-2D technology developed, under R&D grants from Ecosurety & Innovate UK, to recycle heavily contaminated household collections of waste plastic film.
Durham Plant · Nestle £7m
Read announcement →2024
Syklo licence for 50,000 tonne recycling plant in Finland
Syklo a 100% subsidiary of www.oulonenergia.fi sign a licensing agreement for a new BOSS recycling plant in Hyvinkaa, Finland, The plant will process 25,000 tonnes of household mixed film & 25,000 tonnes of mixed rigid collections.
Read announcement →2025
£3 million equity raise
IW Capital raise a further £3 million in equity from existing shareholders to finance further expansion of the business.
2026
Syklo plant commissioned in Hyvinkaa, Finland
Following site purchase, permitting, extensive construction design, procurement and installation of the new 50,000 tonne facility the Hyvinkaa plant is ready for commissioning & official launch.
Read announcement →
Leadership
Meet the team behind Impact Recycling.
David Walsh
Chief Executive Officer
David Walsh is Founder and CEO of Impact Recycling, where he leads the development and commercialisation of proprietary technologies for recycling difficult post-consumer waste plastic. Since founding the business in 2017, he has overseen the scale-up of the company's BOSS technology across mixed rigid, flexible and medical plastic applications in the UK and Europe. Before founding Impact Recycling, David spent over 20 years in investment management as founder of Appleton Capital Management, specialising in alternative assets, risk management and structured finance. He holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from University of Limerick and brings a blend of technical, financial and operational expertise to advancing circular economy solutions.
Stacey McGladrigan
Chief Financial Officer
Stacey McGladrigan is Chief Financial Officer at Impact Recycling, where she leads the company's financial strategy, reporting and commercial governance as the business scales its recycling operations and technology licensing activities. Since joining in 2021, she has played a key role in supporting growth, capital raising and operational financial management. A qualified Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) accountant, Stacey has over 15 years' experience across financial control, fund accounting and corporate finance. Her background spans both industrial and financial sectors, bringing strong expertise in financial planning, compliance and scaling high-growth businesses.
Abdel Elsaadawy
Lead Chemical Engineer
Abdel Elsaadawy is Lead Chemical Engineer at Impact Recycling, where he leads polymer development and process optimisation across the company's recycling technologies. Since 2020, his work focuses on polymer behaviour, melt flow modification, additive integration and the production of recycled PE and PP materials engineered to meet specific manufacturing requirements. He has played a central role in developing Impact Recycling's BOSS recycling processes from pilot to commercial operation. Abdel holds a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Newcastle University and brings specialist expertise in polymer processing, materials performance and recycled product development.
Chris Hardman
Plant Manager
Chris Hardman is Plant Manager at Impact Recycling, where he oversees plant operations, process performance and production efficiency across the company's recycling facilities. Since 2021 he has played a key role in commissioning and scaling Impact Recycling's commercial plants, helping transition BOSS technology from pilot development into reliable industrial operation. Chris holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Chemical Engineering from Newcastle University and brings strong expertise in process engineering, plant optimisation and quality control. His focus is on maximising throughput, maintaining product consistency and delivering high-performance recycled polymer production at commercial scale.
Ian McGavin
Lead Design Engineer
Ian McGavin is Lead Design Engineer at Impact Recycling, where he has led the engineering design and development of the company's BOSS recycling systems since joining in 2021. He has played a key role in translating Impact Recycling's proprietary technology into full-scale industrial plant designs, supporting the delivery of mixed rigid, flexible and medical waste recycling facilities across the UK and Europe. Ian studied Chemical Engineering at University of Aberdeen and brings extensive expertise in process design, equipment specification and systems integration. His focus is on designing robust, scalable recycling infrastructure that delivers efficient throughput, operational reliability and consistent recycled polymer quality.
David Mahoney
Plant Manager
David Mahoney is Plant Manager at Impact Recycling, where he has played a key role in the development, commissioning and optimisation of the company's recycling plants since joining in 2019. He has been instrumental in scaling Impact Recycling's BOSS technology from pilot-stage development into full commercial operation across mixed rigid, flexible and medical waste plastic streams. David is an Electrical Engineer with extensive experience in industrial plant systems, automation and process control. With over 30 years of engineering and operational experience, he brings deep expertise in plant commissioning, equipment integration and performance optimisation, ensuring reliable and efficient commercial-scale recycling operations.