Sir Gavin Williamson discussed future energy use and environmental matters with Augean Ltd – a national company with 22 sites across the UK, including a base at Hilton Hall in Essington.
Founded in 2004, the organisation is a leading waste management company that provides services across several industries in the UK.
The group offers a comprehensive range of waste services including reuse, recycling, recovery, treatment, transfer, disposal, and specialist industrial services.
Augean’s commitment to sustainable waste management is rooted in their extensive expertise in understanding the chemical and physical interactions of waste materials. They are committed to conducting onsite and off-site operations in a responsible manner and have high standards of health and safety, environmental, quality management and customer service. All of their sites are very rigorously controlled by regulators like the EA, SEPA in Scotland and HSE
Richard Brooke, CEO of Augean said: “The Augean team enjoyed meeting Sir Gavin and showed him how our Essington office assesses waste for treatment and disposal at 22 sites around the country. We were able to brief him on some of the most challenging policy issues that the company faces.
“We discussed the importance of dredging canals in the Black Country and Staffordshire to maintain watercourses and prevent flooding and how the Government’s new tax on stabilisers used for the disposal of dredgings will increase flooding risk.
“We agreed that nuclear, oil and gas must have a prominent role in our energy mix.”
Sir Gavin said: “Global energy insecurity is having a major impact on industrial waste services and thus increasing economic impacts for businesses across the UK and in turn employees as well as communities.
“The Government must rethink its energy policy and move away from ideological decisions that stymies growth and leaves the UK at a disadvantage compared to other countries.
“I was delighted to meet with representatives from Augean and look forward to working with them to ensure further major plants are not closed and that demand for industrial waste services is not affected further.”
