Wastewater team backs plastic pollution clear-up

Wastewater professionals from national drainage specialist Lanes Group plc are supporting a campaign to clean up plastic pollution and other waste dumped along rivers in Greater London.

Ten colleagues from Lanes Utilities, the wastewater network service maintenance partner for Thames Water, collected plastic, paper litter, and a shopping trolley along the Thames at Staines, in Surrey.

They were responding to a call for help from Thames21, a charity that co-ordinates efforts by volunteers to clean up and improve 400 miles of waterways in Greater London.

Lanes Utilities Head of Operations Michael Hall, who took part in the waste clear-up, said: “In our work to keep Thames Water sewers flowing freely we see every day the damage and huge cost that results from waste dumped in and near our waterways.

“That’s why we’re only too glad to support Thames21’s excellent work to clear the mess caused by others – and to encourage responsible disposal of waste that blights our communities and causes lasting damage to wildlife and the wider environment.”

Thames21 provided all tools and equipment, while its personnel were on hand to give expert advice and health and safety guidance during the three-hour waste collection session.

Lanes Utilities’ HQ is in Slough, Berkshire. It has six operational hubs across the Thames Water region, and carries out 1,100 tasks every day to unblock, clean, and repair drains and sewers.

Among items its team of volunteers collected was a shopping trolley which had been pushed into the River Thames off a jetty and many items of plastic waste, including bottles, bags, and food containers.

Michael Hall said: “People are increasingly aware that plastic pollution is a major and growing problem. A plastic bag dumped in the Thames at Staines can damage wildlife locally and contribute to the build-up of plastic contamination in our oceans.

“Thames Water has to spend millions of pounds a year doing its best to intercept and dispose of this waste at treatment plants, which contributes to higher water bills for all of us. We all enjoyed working together to support Thames21 and Lanes Utilities will continue to do so.”

Personnel from another Lanes Group company, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd, are also helping Thames21 with its clean-up and pollution education work which is backed by the Marine Conservation Society, the Environment Agency, and local authorities.