Mr Bury, 88, was twice president of the European waste management association FEAD as well chairing and being treasurer of the UK’s Environmental Services Association (ESA). In 1992 he was president of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM). He was a life-member of both ESA and CIWM.
Waste Management
Mr Bury started his career working in public health in Greater Manchester. He then was involved in developing waste management businesses in the north west before joining the Waste Management company which was a subsidiary of the National Freight Corporation.
This business was later acquired by the American firm Waste Management and Mr Bury remained involved as European director. He stopped full time work in the mid-1990s but went on to continue involvement with trade associations and supporting roles for the sector.
Mr Bury, who gained a CBE for services to the waste sector in 1993, leaves a wife, Jean, two sons – Simon and Christopher – and their families.
Tributes to Mr Bury have been paid from across the waste management sector:
Important role
Jake Hayler, executive director of the ESA said: “Everyone at ESA was very sad to hear that Keith passed away last week. He will be sorely missed.
“Keith played a very active and important role throughout his career in the industry and was heavily involved with ESA over many years. He retained his interest in the sector’s affairs and we were always pleased to see Keith in London at ESA events, most recently at our annual lunch last November. Our thoughts are with Keith’s family and friends.”
Fond memories
Claudia Mensi, president of FEAD, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Keith and we offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Everyone here at FEAD has such fond memories of Keith and he was appreciated as a true gentleman from a bygone era.”
Ms Mensi continued: “We were lucky enough to be in close contact with him last year as he dedicated himself to our event in Munich and gave the opening speech. His good humour and easygoing ways brought our team closer during the event and we feel honoured to have had that privilege. We enjoyed working with him so much and we admired how he effortlessly gave back to the industry and our sector.”
She added: “Keith joined FEAD in 1986 two years after FEAD was founded and has been part of its growth and development ever since. His insights were impactful as he could readily talk about the history of European waste management legislation in the context of FEADs work, from changes in practices to emerging technologies.”
Friends and competitors
Industry colleague and former CIWM president, Roger Hewitt, said: “I have known Keith since 1975 when I joined the NAWDC board. Keith had been managing NAWDC on a temporary basis following the sudden death of the director general. We became good friends and keen competitors.
“Keith went on to run and build Waste Management into a leading player in the sector. He continued to play a meaningful and active role in the trade association and also FEAD. I remember when Keith and I met with our German counterparts in FEAD and subsequently worked with them to raise its prominence in Europe.
“Keith also put great commitment and time into CIWM and was a very active president. He will be sorely missed by all who knew and respected him.”
NAWDC
Barry Dennis, a past president of CIWM and past director general of the ESA, said he had first met Mr Bury in the 1970s but got to know him well “when I joined NAWDC, the National Association of Waste Disposal Contracts, in 1993 as its director general.
“We travelled around Europe through FEAD and he become well-respected by his European colleagues, many of whom he was still in touch with up to his death on 27 February. If I was visiting the North West he always insisted I stayed at his home – we would have an evening meal go back to his home, drink malt whisky and discuss the issues facing the industry at the time. His view was rarely wrong!”
Keith was a businessman with great foresight and integrity
Mr Dennis continued: “Keith was a businessman with great foresight and integrity. He had excellent negotiating skills, his idea of a good deal was only if both sides involved walk away feeling that they had a good and fair deal. His involvement on behalf of the industry through either ESA (formerly NAWDC), CIWM or indeed his own company, Waste Management Ltd which was based in the North West, in so many issues such as the landfill directive, landfill tax, training through Wamitab and WINTO was always broad-based and inclusive.”
Mr Dennis concluded: “If I had to sum up Keith in a few words, ‘if we are going to do it, lets do it well and in style’.”
Diplomacy
Dr Marion Carter, founder of the MJCA environmental consultancy, knew Keith well. This was through his role in the UK waste sector and in particular his roles in the ESA and FEAD. Dr Carter spoke of her “deep sadness and the loss of a very good friend” on hearing of his death.
She recalls Keith’s “diplomacy and skills in national and international meetings”. Both Dr Carter and Mr Bury were involved in the negotiations regarding the landfill directive, a proposal of which in the early days the UK waste sector had been “quietly left out”.
Keith was a great president of FEAD, a post he held twice
On one occasion, says Dr Carter, “Keith and I went to Rome for a FEAD meeting about the landfill directive. There was a clear divide over approaches to the legislation, our view was based on science and theirs on engineering. We had to work hard in a cold atmosphere to get the UK’s point of view across as they were planning to support a ban on co-disposal.
“Keith was a great president of FEAD, a post he held twice,” she adds. “He was a man of high standards and proud of the industry in which he worked for so many years.”
Statesman
David Palmer-Jones, a former president of FEAD and past chief executive of Suez UK, said: “Keith was held in the highest regard by everyone who worked with him and his statesman like manner will be missed by our industry.
“I was fortunate that over the years I knew him he became not only a friend, but a constant source of encouragement to me personally. My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.”
Funeral
Details of the funeral arrangements for Mr Bury have not yet been given but are expected to be available from ESA and CIWM.
