London Mayor opens new Bywaters recycling facility in east end

Bywaters' cutting edge Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) has been opened by new London Mayor Boris Johnson and Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales.

With an input capacity of up to 250,000 tonnes of dry recyclables per year, it is the largest undercover dry recyclables MRF in the capital and is just a few miles from Canary Wharf and the City.

The opening of the MRF comes just days after Mr Johnson agreed to chair the London Waste and Recycling Board and promised to champion recycling in London.

Mr Johnson said:

"On this World Environment Day I am raising the bar for Londoners and encouraging them to make the effort to recycle more - both in their homes and at work. The capital's businesses are keen to be greener and recycle more of their waste, but we need to be able to meet this growing demand. I am delighted to be in the East End today opening this huge new recycling plant. This state-of-the-art facility is a welcome boost to my own goal of sending less rubbish to landfill and making London a world leader in recycling."

Sharing the platform with Mr Johnson at the MRF launch was Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales.

He said:

"As a borough, Newham is committed to minimising the impact on the environment and lowering the use of landfill. Bywaters being here will help the business community and residents do just that. It is a great privilege to open the new facility."

Owned and run by family firm Bywaters, the MRF is part of a major £30million relocation project to a 9.2 acre site in Bow, east London. The building at Lea Riverside covers more than 187,000 square feet and is able to operate in all weather conditions, with materials remaining dry as well as secure.

Michael Schumacher, Environmental System Manager, Canary Wharf Management Limited said:

"Bywaters has been working in partnership with Canary Wharf Management since 1989.  Having such an impressive facility just a few miles away is fundamental in keeping Canary Wharf at the forefront of recycling and sustainability and demonstrates how Bywaters continually innovates to offer the best service to its customers."

The development of the new site followed Bywater's relocation in 2006 to make way for the 2012 Olympic Games. The company worked closely with the London Development Agency to identify suitable sites and plan a staggered relocation.

Gareth Blacker, Director of the Olympic Legacy Development Team at the London Development Agency (LDA), said:

"Bywaters is a great example of a business that embraced the Olympic relocation process to improve and expand. By working closely with the LDA for more than two years, they were able to identify relocation sites that would develop their business and in turn help the LDA to deliver the Olympic site on time and on budget."

The Lea Riverside MRF is a crucial facility to support London's growing need for commercial recycling and to close the recycling loop.

Lynda Tilbury, Chair for the London Region of the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) said:

"London businesses have shown again and again that they have the desire as well as the need to support London's recycling targets and central government's climate change strategy.  By making recycling easy to understand and implement, Bywaters is giving businesses exactly what they are looking for - a convenient, manageable, local recycling service that will help them meet legislative requirements and environmental best practice."

London's business community will reap the benefits of having a local MRF through the reduced waste transportation distances and also the provision of local employment and continued investment in the local economy.

Bywaters Managing Director John Glover said:

"This is an exciting time for Bywaters. The opening of our east London MRF puts us in exactly the right place to make recycling easier for London businesses.

"Our new location means we are minimising the environmental impact of our operations. Our service is now supported by the latest technology ensuring the material resources we generate are of the highest quality to feed back into the supply chain."

The new MRF's cutting edge processing technology for dry recyclables will produce high quality end products. Working with industry bodies Bywaters ensures its facilities, processes and end products meet the highest standards of industry best practice. The company ensures that its products are sent to reprocessors in the UK and, where necessary, to fully accredited facilities overseas.

London Remade promotes sustainable waste management by developing local markets for the capital's recycled materials. The team worked closely with Bywaters on the development of their east London facility.

Daniel Silverstone, Chief Executive of London Remade said:

"London produces 19 million tonnes of waste a year; to manage it, new recycling capacity is needed. Bywaters' MRF contains technology which, combined with the location of the site, places them in a strong position to increase recycling from the city, Canary Wharf and the regeneration of east London. London Remade has worked closely with Bywaters' management in the development of this facility and we are excited about the opportunities that it presents for the capital."

Bywaters has developed its tailored Bycycler system in response to customer demand for an easy and efficient recycling solution. The dual bin system encourages customers to separate their waste into recycling and residual waste, including food waste. The MRF can process all types of commercial and office dry recyclables, including paper, cans and plastic bottles and was designed and built by Bywaters in conjunction with Kaizen Recycling Limited and Eggersman. The project was funded by the London Development Agency, BERR, Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Bywaters.

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Notes to editors:

• Bywaters is a leading recycling and waste management company serving London and the South East since 1952.
• Bywaters is a fully licensed waste carrier, waste broker and waste manager. The new MRF recycles commercial and office recyclables.
• In 2006, three sites, which were in the Olympic zone, were relocated to Bow.

For more information see: www.bywaters.co.uk.