Forty Years in Waste Management
- Lucy Atherton
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
A waste management company in Kilmington in Devon is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a nostalgic look back at the business over the years, including decorating skips for the Axminster Carnival. Axe Skips has been run by the same family since 1985, when John and Jane Bostock set up the company with just one lorry and 20 skips. Today it operates a large sorting station near Axminster with five lorries, more than 500 skips and 12 employees.
Specialising in personal and business waste disposal, the company prides itself in recycling up to 89% of the rubbish brought into its yard. It is currently looking at reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill, by shredding residual waste and sending it to an incinerator. The business also does regular collections from local charity shops, recycling unsold textiles and giving the profits back to the charities.
James Bostock, John and Jane’s son, now runs the business with his wife Karen and daughter Juliette. He says: “I used to travel around with dad in the lorry and remember we would just go and pick up a skip and then take it to the local tip and empty it. How things have changed, now I am now the one driving around and we hand sort and separate all the skips and van loads that come into our yard before the waste is either recycled or disposed of.
“I finished college and worked at a golf course for a few years and then in the early 90s joined mum and dad in the business. With the sad passing of dad 13 years ago, I then took over the running of the company with the help of my wife Karen who runs the office and recycling side of things. Our 19 year old daughter recently joined us and is also driving the lorries.
“We have spent 40 years building up Axe Skips to what it is today and are very proud of our staff and what we have achieved. We are always looking for ways to improve our recycling and impact on the environment, but constant changes make it difficult at times. As with any business, there is always the red tape aspect of it which is demoralising, especially with the ever growing numbers of fly tippers in our lovely countryside who operate without the licences we have to apply for.
“As a local business we try to help out as many local charities, events and causes as much as possible, we are great believers in putting back into a community we are proud to live in. This includes local football and cricket clubs, horses, rock concerts, annual shows and individual causes.”
Jane Bostock has been sorting through old photos and found some of the early days when they just had a few skips, as well as records of their incredible community involvement. This has included taking part in the Axminster Carnival every year with a variety decorated skips and supporting numerous local charities with donations and involvement in projects.
Jane says: “We had an agricultural engineering business in Chard in partnership with a friend who then decided on a change of career, so everything was sold and not knowing what to do next we brought a seaside kiosk at West Bay. We ran it for two years and enjoyed it very much.
“John was always looking to do something else, so one day when a skip lorry drove past and he thought that might be something that would suit him. We sold the kiosk and brought a Dodge 50 series skip loader lorry and 20 mini skips. We were able to work from home and there were several local tipping places at that time. We thought we would give it 12 months and see how it went!
“It was a slow start for a few years but it worked out very well. The Environment Agency began to tighten the rules and we had to use the Devon County Council tip at Sutton but when that rapidly filled so we had to look elsewhere. We were fortunate to buy the old council highways depot at Kilmington and were granted permission to turn it into a recycling yard. John had to take a level 4 NVQ in Waste Management to run the site and that was not easy!”
Whilst John was out in the lorry Jane was back in the yard sorting the waste and driving the loading shovel, filling the 40yd roll on bins. Non recycled materials were taken to landfill sites and they managed to recycle the wood, metal, paper and hardcore.
“We have had some wonderful staff over the years in the yard, driving and in the office - which has been like an extended family for us. Sadly John died of cancer in 2009, so we have raised a lot of money over the years for Hospiscare, which looked after him. I am sure he would be very proud of everyone who has worked here past and present.”
The Bostock family shares a love of horses, so Axe Skips sponsors local showjumpers and events at nearby Chard Equestrian. One of their sponsored riders, Charlotte Chadwick, recently won the Winter Arena Eventing League finals at Chard and came 11th in the British nationals at Aston la Walls in Daventry.
Their daughter Juliette is also an accomplished showjumper, as well as a fully qualified HGV Class 2 driver. She plans to take the business further in the future, by adding road haulage to the services it offers - keeping it in the family for the next generation!
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