Susie Burrage OBE

Susie Burrage OBE, President of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) is a key figure in today’s global recycling industry. Her determined, hands-on, leadership style managed from her recycling yard in Buckinghamshire, is driving change. Awarded the OBE for services to recycling and the environment, Susie is a new champion of a millennia old industry, consolidating its place at the global sustainability table.

Susie was born into recycling; a fourth generation recycler, following her great-grandfather George, who was a scrap metal merchant for Kensington & Chelsea in the 1900s. She worked alongside her father Tom as a girl, taking on the business in 2001. She has been involved in recycling associations since 2014 when she joined the British Metals Recycling Association (becoming its first female President in 2016).

In 2023, she became BIR’s first female President in its 75 year history. Since then, BIR has seen rapid growth; membership has increased, Conventions are seeing record numbers; global advocacy efforts are strengthening, and industry outreach is more meaningful than ever.

Not slowing, Susie’s future for BIR includes increased representation for women in the industry and the commission of a landmark study to show the positive impact of recycling on the earth.