Mr Sharp will be known to many in the waste industry having worked for Greater London council’s waste disposal unit, from which he retired in 1983, having begun his career as a bin man for the London borough of Lewisham.
He joined the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) in 1962, and was made a fellow in 1980, retaining an active sector long after his retirement.
Notably, he completed a masters degree in waste management at the University of Northampton in 2010, aged 88, having completed a degree in waste management and pollution control at the same University in 2002.
Tributes
Paying tribute to Mr Sharp today, CIWM chief executive Steve Lee said: “He is a difficult man to sum up in one sentence. He was a man who believed in constant learning, he never stopped. Not only did he want to develop himself, but he was excited about young people coming into the industry. He will be much missed.”
Dr Margaret Bates, manager of the centre for sustainable wastes management at the University of Northampton said that Mr Sharp’s personality ‘showed everything that is best about the waste industry’ and revealed that he had even been considering studying towards a PhD late into his life.
She said: “After he enrolled in a distance learning course he got sucked into learning again. Everything he did he did properly and to the best of his ability.
“We got involved in all sorts of things because of our association with him and how considerate he was, and he always had a cheeky smile!”
letsrecycle.com editor Steve Eminton, added: “Ernie was a delightful person. We always met at RWM and with his son Malcolm he was still an enthusiast for what was on show and excited by all the various developments in the sector. In recent years Ernie has also helped to contribute to the history of the waste industry and councils with his knowledge and keen memory. I know he will be missed by all and especially by his family and close friends.”
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