WASTE & RECYCLING
PEOPLE PROFILE
A
s a Yorkshire man, David
Birkett of Serious Waste
Management, believes in
DAVID BIRKETT
calling a spade a spade,
and when it comes to his
passion for the business of
dealing with waste, he is equally
uncompromising.
Involved with the nitty gritty side of
what goes down our drains, he has a very
clear message for those who believe they
can get away with damaging the
environment and he is forthright in
expressing those views.
“Anyone who messes with wildlife,
plants, water courses or pasture lands and
pollutes them deserves the £20,000 fines
that the Environment Agency imposes for
a first offence. I have no sympathy at all
for them”
David and his wife, Joanna set up the
company as Envirotech in 1995,
capitalising on David’s background in civil
engineering. His ethics demanded that it
would be professional and thorough and
that only the highest standards would do.
The company was re-named serious** in
2003 which allowed him to inject a sense
“It doesn’t matter who you are
of humour into a business that he knows
is nothing short of basic.
“We wanted to use the appropriate
— in my book, you have to
yellow and brown colours on the tankers
and also to use the strap lines ‘we deal
look after the environment that
with **it’ and “** it happens*”.
That re-branding has won them
several top design awards and has also
you are going to pass on...”
proved to be an effective marketing tool
as people smile and remember their name Centenary Rally at Blenheim Palace earlier has now published a Code of Practice
as they pass their tankers on motorways. this year when they had to deal with endorsed by the Environment Agency
“There’s no point being shy about sewage and waste from more than 600 aimed at raising standards in the industry.
what we do,” said David. “It’s an essential caravans. It helps contractors and planners identify
business that no-one wants to know about “It’s exactly at events like this when we the potential problems of a proposed
until something goes wrong like it did last need to make sure there isn’t a risk of an system, such as how much grease is likely
summer when we had severe floods, and impact on the environment. To deal with to go down the pipes, how big the
then it’s a huge issue.” the waste and sewage from thousands of premises are and how big the sewage
Serious Waste Management were the people efficiently, we had to plan to have treatment plant should be to cope with all
main contractors for the Caravan Club’s the right equipment on site, ready to deal eventualities.
with all problems, before they arose. As As a member of British Water, he has
the floods later in the summer proved, also helped to set up the first ever
sudden changes in the weather can have accreditation scheme for technicians to
a real impact on our drains and it’s no ensure that those working in the industry
use looking around a field sodden with are fully trained.
raw sewage after relentless downpours David has recently been campaigning
and wondering what to do. “ to stop cowboy waste operators,
In keeping with his passion for his appearing in the national and local press
business, David has joined British Water, in his efforts to highlight the damage
the organisation that is made up of being done by businesses that think they
leaders from the country’s biggest water can get away with spreading raw sewage
and waste companies, and he is a on fields when no one is looking.
member of its influential Packaged When you feel this strongly about an
Sewage Treatment Plant Focus Group that issue, there is no respite. Armed with a
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SUSTAINABLE FM | OCTOBER 2007
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