LondonEnergy has been awarded the Mayor of London’s ‘Good Work Standard’, for “sustained commitment” to creating the best possible working conditions.
Owned by the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), LondonEnergy noted that it was the first in its sector to win the award. The company runs the EcoPark energy from waste (EfW) plant in Edmonton, which is part of the North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP).
LondonEnergy’s Edmonton EcoPark can process up to 700,000 tonnes of waste a year
The Good Work Standard is part of the Mayor’s programme to improve working standards in London by setting a series of criteria relating to fair pay and conditions, workplace wellbeing, skills and progression, diversity and recruitment.
Living Wage
Commenting on the Mayor’s decision to award LondonEnergy the standard, the company’s managing director, Peter Sharpe, said: “LondonEnergy has been a London Living Wage employer for some time but we realised this wasn’t enough and we had a huge opportunity to create a fair and supportive culture in which our people could develop their careers.
“One of our core values is ‘own it’ and this achievement recognises the effort of the whole team who took responsibility for ensuring that we go above and beyond in making LondonEnergy a great place to work.”
Mr Sharped added: “The Good Work Standard sets a high benchmark for our performance as an employer and I’m confident it will ensure we continue to attract and retain the highest calibre people across the business.”
Opposition
The award comes despite longstanding opposition of London mayor Sadiq Khan to developing any more EfW plants in London.
The current Edmonton plant is to be replaced
Mr Khan has said that he opposes the plants due to the “detrimental impact” they can have on climate change, recycling rates and air quality, and previously hit out at the government for approving Cory Riverside Energy’s plans for a new EfW plant in Belvedere. (see letsrecycle.com story)
London Energy’s Edmondon facility, and the NLHPP, has also been met with controversy from pressure groups such as Extinction Rebellion, which wrote an open letter in April, urging the project to be halted.
Support
However, the NLWA has spoken out in support of London Energy’s EcoPark facility, describing is as a “major asset for north London’s communities, delivering vital public investment in recycling infrastructure and preventing hugely environmentally damaging increase in landfill use in the future” (see letsrecycle.com story).
The NLWA added: “The existing plant at Edmonton EcoPark is now working around the clock for north London’s residents to safely dispose of their waste. Pausing the NLHPP, which will replace the existing plant by 2025, would pose unacceptable risks to the public.”
The post Edmonton EfW operator wins Mayor’s award appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
