TRIBUTE has been paid to a district ‘success story’.

Ecology Building Society was founded more than 40 years ago in a tiny upstairs office at Cross Hills, near Keighley.

In 2022, the organisation achieved net lending of £69m.

“Ecology was founded to meet the financial services needs of people who care about the planet and their impact upon it – the society now serves over 15,000 customers across the UK and is truly one of our local success stories,” says Keighley MP Robbie Moore.

“I’m excited to hear about plans by the society to further grow its business and increase the positive impact it has on people, communities and the planet.”

Mr Moore – Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – visited the society’s current-day purpose-built headquarters, constructed from sustainably-sourced materials, at Silsden.

During the visit he discussed a Simpler Recycling scheme, to streamline waste collections and boost recyclable materials, which he launched last year whilst serving under the Conservative Government.

He was hosted by the Ecology’s facilities officer, Lara Clarkson.

She said: “Ecology is proud to be based in Silsden and to be a force for good in the financial services industry across the UK.

“We were delighted to welcome Robbie Moore to our head office and to have the opportunity to provide feedback on the Simpler Recycling scheme. We know our that members want Ecology to lead the way on initiatives such as these, and to campaign for policies and processes that will help to create a fair society in a sustainable world.”

Mr Moore adds: “It’s important that everyone can do their bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

“We’ve already heard positive feedback from local residents as a result of the Simpler Recycling initiative. However, to further increase its positive impact, I’d encourage local business owners to share their stories of the benefits – and challenges – arising from the scheme. I can be reached on robbie.moore.mp@parliament.uk.”

Simpler Recycling aims to reduce confusion and increase recycling rates by standardising the types of materials collected from all households and businesses across England.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the system meant people would be able to recycle the same materials, irrespective of where in the country they lived.