Tuesday, 2nd May, 2017
Cory Riverside Energy contributes to WISH waste fires guidance
Cory fully support the stance of the ESA and are proud to have played our part in the production of this report which offers constructive recommendations for improving regulatory and legislative measures that will help to eradicate the waste crime which far too frequently mars both the UK urban environment and our countryside.
It is shameful that fly-by-night businesses and unethical operators all too frequently are able to profit from their deliberate criminal activities that flout waste management legislation and breach protective environmental regulations by ignoring safe disposal practices, in ways that cause unnecessary hazard to the health of the adjacent community, and inflict unnecessary cost of clean-up and rectification on their victims.
We encourage the adoption of the measures promoted in this paper to the greatest extent possible by local authorities and central government alongside heightened awareness within and firm action by UK businesses when selecting (and later overseeing the activities of) their trading partners and suppliers.
Strengthening duty of care legislation, ensuring clear responsibility for custody of waste, and enforcing the law is fundamental to eradicating these selfish and criminal activities which have no place in our society.
Waste crime blights local communities, harms the environment and undermines investment in legitimate businesses. Once and for all, waste crime must be stopped.
The Waste Industry Safety & Health Forum (“WISH”) has today published a revised set of guidelines that provides advice and standards for the waste and recycling sector on how best to reduce the risk of fires at waste management sites.
WISH’s report builds on the guidance it produced in 2014 and reflects a more comprehensive understanding of waste fires which was developed through a rigorous programme of waste burn tests conducted between 2015 and 2016. The knowledge gathered during testing has been integrated into the new revision of the guidance.
The revised guidance was produced by WISH’s waste fires working group and it benefited from input from a range of interested parties including Cory Riverside Energy.
Cory played an active role in the research process including hosting a number of the waste burn tests at the company’s site in Essex. In addition, Chris Jones, Cory’s Director of Risk Management and Compliance, also serves as Chairman of WISH and was instrumental to the commissioning and compiling of the report.
Nick Pollard, Group CEO of Cory Riverside Energy, said: “WISH’s updated guidance report is both timely and extremely comprehensive, and Cory Riverside Energy is proud to have played a part in its production. The guidelines are underpinned by ground-breaking scientific research, which has included the most extensive programme of waste burn tests ever conducted and its is reinforced by the collective support of the industry’s largest regulators.
“Unfortunately, fires continue to be a problem across the waste management industry despite the best efforts of all concerned. But the advances made by this report will undoubtedly bolster attempts to reduce fire risk at waste management sites up and down the country, and it should be viewed as an import step forward for the sector.”
Throughout the process, WISH has also been able to call upon the support of a number of the most high profile industry bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
The revised guidance will be formally launched at a waste fires seminar hosted by CFOA’s (Chief Fire Officers Association) National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) at the National Fire College at Moreton-in-Marsh on 23 June 2017, but is available in advance on the WISH web site at https://wishforum.org.uk.
Notes to Editors:
About Cory Environmental Group
Cory Environmental Group (“Cory”) is currently majority owned by funds advised or managed by Strategic Value Partners LLC or its affiliates. The business is well known and recognisable for its trademark Riverside infrastructure, comprising a large fleet of tugs and barges which sustainably transport over 500,000 tonnes of London’s municipal and commercial waste every year to their energy from waste (EfW) facility, producing electricity and recycled construction materials directly from the waste stream.
About Strategic Value Partners LLC
SVPGlobal was founded in 2001 by Victor Khosla. With approximately $4.2 billion in assets under management, SVPGlobal is a leading global investment firm with primary offices in Greenwich (CT), London, Frankfurt and Tokyo, focused on deep value investments. SVPGlobal seeks to create value in its investments through its substantial industry, restructuring and operating experience.
About EQT and EQT Credit
EQT is a leading global private equity group with approximately EUR 30 billion in raised capital. EQT has portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 15 billion and 100,000 employees. EQT Credit II forms part of the EQT Credit platform which spans the full risk-reward spectrum and is currently investing through three strategies: Senior Debt, Mid-Market Credit and Credit Opportunities.
The advances made by this report will undoubtedly bolster attempts to reduce fire risk at waste management sites up and down the country, and it should be viewed as an import step forward for the sector.