Cory Riverside Energy (Cory) has helped to recycle over 4,000 plastic bottles collected from the banks of the River Thames.
The discarded plastic bottles were gathered by volunteers for Thames 21, the voice for London’s waterways, and the Zoological Society London (ZSL), working in conjunction with Tideway, the company responsible for delivering London’s new super sewer.
150 volunteers collected over 320kg of plastic bottles from the Thames as part of two large litter picks in the middle of July.
The material from these litter picks was then taken to Cory and the Western Riverside Waste Authority’s Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) at Smugglers Way, where they were weighed, sampled to establish their plastic content, and separated ahead of being compressed into bales in preparation for recycling.
“We all need to take responsibility for reducing plastic waste wherever possible – the best place to start is in our local community. and we look forward to working with Thames 21 and Tideway in the future.”
Underlying this collaboration was an intention to explore whether material collected from the Thames could be recycled nearby, thereby involving local businesses with a connection to the river. Given its success, Cory plans to work with Thames 21 and Tideway in the future to make the process of tackling plastic pollution in the capital’s river more efficient and support London’s circular economy, therefore proving that this material has a viable economic value to be recycled in the UK.
Julian Walker, COO of Cory Riverside Energy, said: “The River Thames has been at the heart of our business for over 100 years, so we’re extremely proud to be able to play a role in keeping it clean for the enjoyment of all Londoners.
“Removing plastic waste from the Thames is extremely important, before it flushes out into the Thames estuary and eventually the wider oceans. We all need to take responsibility for reducing plastic waste wherever possible – the best place to start is in our local community. and we look forward to working with Thames 21 and Tideway in the future.”
Debbie Leach, CEO of leading waterways charity Thames 21, added: “Cory’s close connection with Thames made them the natural partner for this initiative. Our volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that London’s waterways are kept clean, and we’re delighted with the success of this trial initiative.
“The fact that we were able to recycle 4,000 bottles from just two litter picks shows the scale of the challenge, and I hope that together Cory, Thames 21 and Tideway can recycle a lot more of the plastic being removed for our capital’s river.”