River Canal Rescue wins award for pollution filter: Bilgeaway

River Canal Rescue has won the British Safety Industry Federation’s Water Pollution Award for its Bilgeaway filter, shown being fitted above.

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is the UK’s leading trade body for the safety sector and its annual Safety & Health Excellence Awards cover four categories; product innovation, safety solutions, customer service and water pollution prevention (the latter added in 2020).

For its entry, River Canal Rescue (RCR) explained how Bilgeaway – the world’s first environmentally-friendly bilge discharge filter – was developed to address a well-known pollution problem. Launched in January 2019, Bilgeaway traps contaminants before they’re discharged overboard by automatic bilge pumps, rendering the filter’s contents non-reactive so they can be safely disposed of, instead of going to landfill.

Over 80 entries were submitted for the awards, including ten for the water pollution category, which is supported by the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Judges were looking for businesses that make efforts to protect the environment and ensure all water pollution risks are managed in an efficient and effective way.

“These awards recognise the excellent work that goes on within the safety industry; we celebrate the constant innovation, expert knowledge and quality service that goes on every day – all with a goal of keeping people safe,” says BSIF marketing manager, Ian Crellin.

“It’s great to achieve this level of recognition from the BSIF – we will continue to develop solutions and lobby others to keep our waterways and coastal waters free from pollution,” says RCR MD, Stephanie Horton.