Leading environmental company launches new North East base

An innovative environmental company has opened a new base in the North East as part of plans to expand and create jobs.

ATG Group has launched its northern office at Sunderland’s North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) as it announced a new contract with Sunderland City Council to recover waste oil.

The company, which has headquarters in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, uses advanced processes to deal with environment and waste management.

It specialises in regenerating redundant land through remediation by using innovative processes to lock-in contaminates in soil so it can be reused.

ATG Group, which employs over 40 people, is also one of the UK’s leading firms to deal with land oil spills, water contamination and the removal of invasive plant species, such as Japanese knotweed, using a groundbreaking process.

It chose Sunderland after agreeing a contract with the City Council to recover waste oil that was found during the planning stage of the new strategic corridor.

ATG Group’s Managing Director, Dr Mark McKinney, said: “I am delighted to announce that we are opening our new North East base in Sunderland. We have already worked in the city over the past few years on both the Northern Spire project, as a sub-contractor with Farrans, and most recently with Esh Group on the third phase of the strategic corridor.

“We have ambitious plans to grow across the UK in the next five years as more brownfield sites are developed. While we have bases in Scotland and the south of England, we felt there was a need for one in the north of England. We have a number of exciting plans for the North East base, which will create new jobs.”

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise-winning company has recently secured a contract with Sunderland City Council to recover waste oil near a stretch of the new strategic corridor, which opened last month.

Projects Director Duncan Sanders explained: “During the initial planning stage, the council engineers identified an area of waste hydrocarbons. Working with Esh Group and Environment Agency, we were tasked with safely recovering the substance two years ago. There is more to recover and as the site has now been handed back to Sunderland City Council, we have agreed an ongoing contract directly with the council to carry out those works.”

Deputy Leader of Sunderland City Council and Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Claire Rowntree said: “The council is pleased to welcome ATG Group to Sunderland. We have worked alongside the company on a number of successful projects so far, and look forward to working with ATG Group in the future now it has established a new base in the city.”

As market leaders in the use of modern remediation technologies, the company delivers workable and practical solutions to maximise the potential of redundant sites. By reusing previously contaminated soil rather than sending it to landfill, ATG Group’s work has saved 1.3 million tonnes of CO2.

ATG Group, which announced expansion into Europe after securing a contract in Latvia in 2021, was awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2020.

For more information about ATG Group visit www.atg-group.co.uk/ 

For more information about the work spaces and support available at the North East BIC visit ne-bic.co.uk or call 0191 516 6200.