A recent analysis by Thames Water has found that approximately £13 million of precious metals is being flushed away through our sewers every year, (The Telegraph).

Brushing gold teeth and rubbing wedding rings when we wash out hands is the causal factor. A geologist from Cardiff University who has been studying precious metals in urban waste, (this study was carried out alongside Thames Water, by investigating the incinerators used to burn off sewage sludge). Hazel said: “We were stunned, they were all consistently high in gold”.

The claim states that tiny quantities of gold and precious metals are washed down the sink every time we wash our hands, as we actually rub wedding rings and jewellery and of course when people with gold teeth brush them, tiny quantities drain down.

Amazingly cars are also said to deposit small bits of platinum in drains from catalytic convertors. This is huge according to Dr Pritchard as “it’s one to three parts per million”. She further states that    “Goldmines are economical at one to three parts per million”,  the advantage is, it doesn’t need to be mined, or crushed which are the two big costs in getting gold out of rocks, (Source, The Telegraph).

There already exists a sewage treatment facility in Tokyo that has already started extracting gold from sludge, which has a yield similar to that found in ore at some leading gold mines? What a pity we can’t all stake a claim, the old adage that where theirs muck theirs money, seems to be true in this case.

Yorkshire Water Looking after its assets

Yorkshire Water has awarded three Yorkshire firms with its new land property maintenance contracts which are worth over five million, (Source Business Quarter).

Yorkshire Water is one of the region’s largest landowners according to the same source. The group owns approximately seventy thousand acres of countryside which includes four thousand acres of forests and ancient woodland.

The companies who won the contracts include Leeds, York and Hull-based Mason Clark Associates, Bedale-based Fountains Forestry and Wakefield-based Freedom Group.

Head of land and property at Yorkshire Water Peter Garrett, said “Following a 12-month selection period, we are pleased to welcome the three new partners all of whom have bases in Yorkshire. He further states that “They will work closely with us to manage and enhance our land and properties over the next five years for Yorkshire Water and our customers.

The companies will provide three distinct services for Yorkshire Water which include as mentioned above the companies ancient woodland, rural buildings and countryside management.

Mason Clark won the firm’s contract for rural buildings and housing maintenance management service, improving the houses and rural buildings, mainly built of traditional stone, across the Yorkshire Water estate.

Four thousand acres of forest and ancient woodland will be managed by Fountains Forestry, with the aim of restoring the ancient woodland sites as well as developing climate resilient woodlands for the future.

Finally, Freedom Group will provide countryside management services to maintain and develop safe access for Yorkshire Water customers, (walkers, cyclists, horse rider etc.) in the company’s reservoir catchment land. Particular focus will be on the opening up of Yorkshire Water land for those with disabilities and groups not represented within the usual visitor profile, ( Business Quarter)…

Thames Water

Just to finish up this current roundup, Thames Water is looking for a new chief executive according to fast FT. Martin Baggs is due to step down by the end of next year Thames Water said on Friday….