CSG History & Heritage
CSG’s history began in 1934, when Edgar ‘Bunny’ Hart established Hampshire Cleansing Service. Still family owned, the business has grown from local cesspit collections into a nationwide waste management specialist with its own transport network and treatment facilities.
Explore the milestones that have shaped more than 90 years of investment, innovation and service to households and businesses.
CSG was founded as 'Hampshire Cleansing Service' by Edgar 'Bunny' Hart, having bought a second-hand Dennis tanker for £5 from Wokingham Rural Council. Before WW2, all of the work carried out by the firm consisted of emptying cesspits in the local area. As an ambitious and enterprising individual, Edgar continued to grow the enterprise over a number of decades.
The firm became a limited company and changed its name to Cleansing Service (Southern Counties) Ltd which better reflected the geographical areas of operation. After the war, the firm had expanded further by adding gully clearances to its wet waste operations. The number of operational depots also increased.
CSG was the first company in the waste industry to introduce compaction vehicles.Â
Unparalleled building activity in the UK meant that the firm could now expand into dry waste collections. During the late sixties the firm were pioneers in the South with the Front End Loader - a tool now commonplace within the waste industry amongst other waste handling equipment.
In 1972, 36 drums of cyanide were dumped illegally in Nuneaton on waste ground that was a popular play area for children. Their discovery provoked a widespread public outcry, as the incident gained national media attention. CSG were tasked with the clean-up of the drums, and the event led to increased regulation in the waste industry.

CSG's record in cleaning fuel storage tanks at oil refineries impressed BP so much that they were awarded the contract to clean the forecourts of BP's 1,000 petrol stations. The company name was changed to Cleansing Service Group Ltd to better characterise the wide range of activities and regions within which the business now operated.
Wyrley Grove landfill site under construction in 1994. This was the first site in the country to be completely lined with impervious materials.
Despite the ongoing economic recession, in 1992 the company posted record financial results of £1.4 million on turnover of £13.8 million. The Group's investment in further treatment plants had begun to pay off, and the Group began to expand geographically through the acquisition of new sites or businesses.
In August 2000, CSG made its largest acquisition to date with the purchase of Lanstar Holdings. Lanstar ran plants for the treatment and recovery of a wide range of hazardous wastes, with the main site at Cadishead near Manchester. Lanstar had devised processes to treat a whole range of wastes for the chemical industry. Many of these processes are still in use today at CSG Cadishead.
J&G Environmental joined the Group in 2008, expanding CSG’s specialist services for the printing, photographic and healthcare industries.
Neil Richards was appointed as Managing Director in 2012, bringing with him the vision and motivation to grow the company further. His appreciation of the value of diversity in management has resulted in the creation of a diverse, talented and successful management team.
The company continued to grow through strategic acquisition, expanding its specialist treatment and recovery capabilities and strengthening its presence across key industrial waste sectors.Â
CSG continued its programme of growth in 2015 with the acquisition of part of the business and assets of Tradebe Refinery Services, based at Sandycroft in North Wales and formerly known as Willacy Oil Services. Founded in 1989, Willacy had built a strong reputation within the oil industry for petrochemical tank cleaning, oily sludge treatment and recovery systems. The acquisition strengthened CSG’s specialist capabilities in the valuable waste oil recovery market and enabled the company to retain a highly respected name within the refinery services sector.Â
In 2016, CSG acquired Recyc-Oil in Middlesbrough and Frogson Waste Management in Sheffield. These acquisitions expanded the Group’s oily liquid waste processing, recovery and industrial waste treatment capabilities.
Jen Richards was appointed Managing Director of CSG in 2025, succeeding Neil Richards, who became Group Chairman after 13 successful years in the role. Jen had been with CSG for 19 years, having started as a senior chemist before progressing to Site Manager at the company’s flagship Cadishead facility and later becoming Treatment Director. Her appointment marked a new chapter for the business, building on a strong foundation of growth, technical expertise and investment in people.Â