Bateaux London, the capital’s leading luxury restaurant cruise operator, has converted their barge, Alexis, into a recycling centre to help promote their commitment to keeping the Thames tidy. As a result of this, and other environmental measures, Bateaux London has been awarded Silver by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Bateaux London is the capital’s leading restaurant cruise provider, serving almost 100,000 guests each year. Offering scheduled lunch, dinner and afternoon tea cruises each of Bateaux London’s vessels offer private dining facilities and the opportunity for private charter as guests enjoy the best views of London from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben to the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral and Canary Wharf. All meals are prepared fresh in the onboard galley kitchen with menus changing seasonally.
Stuart Brain, Grading Assessor, Green Business UK Ltd says, “I was impressed by Bateaux London’s commitment to making the Thames one of the cleanest rivers in Europe, they have spent considerable time and money putting in place a grey water pumping system so that soiled water is pumped to sewer not discharged to the river, similarly an excellent recycling facility allows the company to separate waste streams and ensure correct disposal. To come from Going Green to a SILVER award shows the company’s commitment to continuous environmental improvement.”
Bateaux London General Manager, Andrew Stoddart, says, “I’m delighted that Bateaux London has been awarded Silver as I think that our waterways sometimes get overlooked in people’s green efforts. For us at Bateaux London, the river is an amazing workplace, so it’s particularly important that it is free from rubbish that could cause long-term damage to our waterways. Our decision to create a recycling centre on the river will help to raise awareness amongst our employees and customers as well as encourage them, and others, to do more for our environment as individuals.”
Andrew continues, “We understand that our work may have a direct or indirect effect on the local and regional environment so we actively strive to identify those elements of our work that have an environmental impact and where possible, eliminate or reduce them. We hope that our recycling centre initiative will encourage other Thames-based businesses to reassess their environmental contributions and give that little bit more.”
