020 7001 6000At Bywaters, we are passionate about the environment. We aim to deliver continual environmental improvement for both Bywaters and its customers while supporting local community initiatives and striving to set best practice in our industry.
EMS certified to ISO14001:2004
Our commitment to continual environmental improvement is central to our Environmental Management System (EMS), which is certified to ISO14001:2004 and covers all operations at our Lea Riverside Recycling and Recovery Facility.
Helping customers improve their own environmental performance
In 2007, we launched the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management accredited Waste Awareness Certificate course at our training centre at Lea Riverside. The course aims to help customers improve their understanding of waste and its handling and so improve the environmental performance of their company.
Throughout 2009 we will be developing a suite of training programmes for our customers and can also develop bespoke training packages to meet your needs. We also provide an environmental consultancy service to our customers - from waste auditing and advising on environmental legislation to more bespoke services.
Contact environment@bywaters.co.uk for more information about how we can help you improve your environmental performance.
Principal sponsor of London Remade
Bywaters is a principal sponsor of London Remade, the recycling programme that drives materials resource efficiency in London. This sponsorship has helped London Remade divert over one million tonnes of waste from landfill since 2001.
Signatory to the Mayor's Green Procurement Code
As a signatory to the Mayor's Green Procurement Code, we are committed to buying recycled product and products from sustainable resources wherever possible. This commitment saw us win the Mayor's Green Procurement Code award in October 2007 for 'Best Performing Small and Medium Enterprise' having increased our procurement of recycled products and products from sustainable resources by over 900% from the previous year.
Committed to reducing carbon emissions
We recognise the serious threat that climate change poses and the responsibility that Bywaters has to reduce its own carbon emissions. We have recently introduced a bespoke vehicle route-planning programme, which can plan routes more effectively to reduce mileage and fuel use. By closely monitoring the electricity consumption of our MRF under different operating conditions, we are able to run the most efficient configurations to minimise our carbon footprint.
We are constantly seeking to divert as much waste as possible from landfill to avoid the methane emissions associated with this, and are looking to develop a solution for dealing with food waste.
Fleet of Toyota Prius
We run a fleet of Toyota Prius, a petrol/hybrid car that combines a 1.5-litre engine with a 50-kW electric motor. It is one way that we are showing that we are reducing our carbon footprint in terms of vehicle emissions.
Working with local schools and colleges
We work with local schools and colleges to highlight recycling and waste issues in the local community. Dr Alan Kirk, our Compliance Manager, and other staff visit schools and colleges to help students learn about recycling and consider solutions to London's waste problem. We continue to develop our training centre at our Lea Riverside site enabling us to work more closely with the community.
Next steps
We are always looking for ways to improve our environmental performance and are currently exploring food waste recycling technology and investigating the transport of waste by water.
