Marina builds green credentials with Bilgeaway
AQUEDUCT Marina, based on the Shropshire Union Canal near Nantwich, is encouraging customers to install River Canal Rescue’s Bilgeaway filter on their narrowboats.
The marina, a fervent advocate of environmentally friendly solutions, now stocks Bilgeaway in its chandlery and is promoting the filter to its 147 mooring and 90 hard-standing users, external customers and those buying boats through its brokerage service.
Aqueduct hopes this move takes it one step closer to picking up the UK’s first inland Clean Marina award.
The marina is already involved in a number of initiatives, including The Green Blue and Clean Marinas and recently launched its own Greener Marina scheme – a customer communication programme which aims to develop a culture of environmental awareness between staff and customers, helping it gain Clean Marina status.
Bilgeaway is described as the world’s ‘first’ environmentally friendly filtration system. It uses a non-toxic solution to remove contaminants from dirty bilge water, preventing waterway pollution, which are then rendered non-reactive, leaving environmentally friendly contents in a cartridge for disposal. The housing can be reused.
The product’s a ‘first’ because while other filter systems trap hydrocarbons, they fail to decontaminate them, transferring the disposal problem elsewhere ( typically a landfill site causing further land- based contamination).
Marina and operations director, Phil Langley, commented: “We are already trying to encourage customers to reduce pollution, emissions and their impact on the environment, and are doing this by promoting the use of solar panels and eco-friendly products.”
RCR managing director, Stephanie Horton, agreed: “Everyone has a responsibility to do their bit and if all boats had a filter installed, in 10 years’ time the waterways environment could look completely different. We’d have clearer canals and rivers and the oil slicks in marinas and harbours would be a thing of the past.”