With recycling representing ‘a major solution’ to the problems of the environment, the recycling industry must strive to show the important role it is playing in safeguarding the future of the planet. So said the new Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) World President, Tom Bird, Chief Operating Officer of Hong Kong-based Chiho Environmental Group. His initial two-year term was approved at the organisation’s 2019 General Assembly in Singapore on May 21. It was also agreed that Andy Wahl, President of TAV Holdings Inc. in the USA, would succeed Mr Bird as BIR’s Treasurer on an interim basis.
In taking up the presidency, Bird praised the “unflinching dedication in the face of many obstacles” of his immediate predecessor Ranjit Singh Baxi of UK-based J&H Sales International. Mr Baxi earlier praised the wide-ranging support he had received during his term in office and drew an ovation from the audience in saying, “It’s for you to judge but I think I have done my best.” Baxi expressed particular pride and satisfaction in two developments during his tenure – the launch of Global Recycling Day and the first-ever BIR Convention in India.
