Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 28th March 2024 Issue no. 1107
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 International News
Products Recycling Heroes and Young Green Ambassadors Awards mark Global Recycling Day 2024
Cleaning up environmental contaminants with quantum dot technology
 Tennant announces full spec and capabilities of its first purpose-built robotic scrubber
Taski opens US manufacturing plant for its Swiss-designed floorcare machines
Recruitment dilemma - balancing growth with difficulties finding the right talent
Building engineers 'will save more lives than doctors'
Global Recycling Day: How could recycling benefit your business?
Waste management & recycling services specialist rebrands
Amsterdam Innovation Awards 2024: The nominations are…
High-level event held to advance WASH standards in healthcare facilities
WoolSafe-approved shampoo for rugs cuts cleaning costs
Chicopee launches first 100% recycled, disposable microfibre wipe
Truvox partners with i-Team to bring imop Lite and i-scrub 21B to UK
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Welcome to the Cleanzine
Yesterday, the Environment Agency released its annual sewage data, which revealed that there were 464,056 sewage spills from storm overflows in England last year - 162,965 more than the year before. Wales reported 108,860, while Scotland - with only 4% of its overflows actually monitored - reported 15,289, (so just imagine the real number!). To put that into perspective, water companies in England spent 3,606,170 hours last year, discharging sewage into our waterways. Disgraceful, don’t you think? All those incidences of raw sewage making its way into our waterways, beaches, seas and subsequently further afield… While the true picture’s pretty hard to fathom, (with figures skewed since the Event Duration Monitors that measure frequency and duration of spills - fitted as part of an ongoing program, are, only now, fitted to all England’s overflows) it’s still not good enough. Nor are the Agency’s promises to increase water company inspections fourfold, “to uncover any non-compliance with environmental permits and take enforcement action when illegal discharges from storm overflows are identified”. It’s too late by then... The damage has been done! Then there’s its: “£180m in fast-tracked water company investment over the next 12 months, expected to prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting English waterways”. Who’s paying for the EVDs, the extra inspections (10,000 each year by 2025!) and subsequent enforcement action? Where’s the £180m coming from? I’ll wager it’s not the water companies themselves, but the taxpayers and water companies’ customers, which means that some are contributing twice! It’s all very well for the Environment Agency to boast that, “No other country has the level of monitoring we do, with 100% of storm overflows in England now fitted with a monitor”. It’s preventing the spillages from happening in the first place that’s important, not catching companies for their transgressions after the event. We’re monitoring something that shouldn’t be happening. The Government’s bringing in a ban later this year on water company executive board members and chief executives receiving bonuses if the companies for which they’re responsible have committed, “serious criminal breaches”. It’s a good move, but why not go further than that? We shouldn’t be contaminating our environment in the first place, should we? How about reducing the level at which a ‘criminal breach’ takes place? How about a cap on bonuses earned by water company bosses whether they perform well or not, and shareholder pay-outs drastically reduced until the industry’s got its house in order? All this extra effort and expenditure on the part of the authorities shouldn’t be necessary. Water companies ploughing their profits into improving their infrastructure rather than rewarding themselves and their shareholders for a job not very well done, isn’t the way to go, is it?
 This Week's News
RAS welcomes its new executive director
Known for focussing on creating value, fostering rich connections and delivering impact, Sandeep brings to the role more than three decades of rich cross-functional and cross-cultural experience across Asia. He has built brands, businesses and leaders across companies such BBDO, Nokia, LG, Facebook and Grab – and, having lived in India, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore, he boasts a unique pan-Asian perspective that positions him as a trusted lead Manchester Cleaning Show: biggest and best-attended yet!
Over 40 expert speakers from organisations such as the British Cleaning Council, Birkin, Reckitt and Killis, shared their insights in a range of talks across the two days, with ESG, sustainability and technology being the hot-button topics of the event.   Legislation lethargy looms as volume and intensity of sustainability reporting increases
This comes alongside an increase in the number of ESG reporting mandates and the expectation of total transparency around net zero targets from policymakers, investors and customers in the UK and Europe. European cleaning industry presents its Manifesto for next EU institutional cycle
More than 50 guests - including policymakers, representatives of the business community and social partner organisations, gathered in Brussels to participate in an event to mark the presentation of the Manifesto, which illustrates the points that the industry requires from policymakers to deliver upon in the next EU legislature.   Sort border to prevent supply chain breakdown
But while for many, short traffic queues are anticipated as part of the travel experience, business group Logistics UK is warning that travel delays - and the knock on-effect these could have on imports from Europe in future - could be significant, unless the UK Government takes steps to clarify its post-Brexit border arrangements with the EU.  Packed programme put in place for Interclean Amsterdam 2024
You will be able to gain invaluable insights from renowned speakers who will inspire you to push boundaries and achieve remarkable results, and you’ll dive deep into the latest trends shaping the professional cleaning industry, thanks to presentations delivered by the top minds in the field. Veolia starts UK's first safe treatment for nitrous oxide canisters
This technological first has been developed at the company's Empire facility in Birmingham, and the new process can capture the gas from N2O canisters and separate the nitrogen and oxygen components to enable the gases to be safely vented in proportion to relative volumes already in the atmosphere. The empty canisters are then recycled. Cleanology CEO elected co-chair of Living Wage leadership group
"As a long-term supporter of the Real Living Wage, I am absolutely thrilled to have been elected as co-chair,” remarks Dominic. “This dedicated group of business leaders are champions of fair pay and understand well the commercial benefits for organisations who pay the Real Living Wage. More than a Safe pair of hands...
Proficient with bio-hazard cleaning, fire and flood cleans, waste removal and pest control, managing director Adam Wilkinson was now investing in his team's knowledge of all types of hard flooring. Tork aims to make washroom hygiene more inclusive
To bring awareness to one aspect of the issue, the brand is spotlighting stories of Americans who face barriers to washing their hands in public washrooms, showing how this negatively impacts the hygiene and wellbeing of individuals. The Cleanzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The Cleanzine:
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Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More. Recent UK News
Secure supply chains with closer Government/industry ties
 Greyland’s gaining ground: 25 years’ success and a committed sustainability champion to boot!  When Cleanzine launched 22 years ago, an early advertiser was Greyland - a small, northern England-based family business supplying a range of industrial and institutional cleaning chemicals which, having started officially trading in February 1999, was itself in its infancy. more Mitie secures spot on Crown Commercial Service's Healthcare Soft FM Services Framework
EcoTech celebrates prestigious accreditation
Mitie celebrates winners at inaugural Apprenticeship Awards
Cleaning, hygiene & waste industry now in post-pandemic recovery, says newly-published research
Mitie launches podcast that dives under the surface of Facilities Transformation
It's a '10' from Wellington College for Sodexo!
Paul Thrupp to step down from FWC management committee after 16 years
Futures Supplies celebrates 29 years of success
Company fined after worker injured by 300kg batteries A recycling company in West Yorkshire has been fined £120,000 after batteries weighing at least 300Kg fell onto an employee and severely injured him. SOAPBOX: A rubbish-free future for London: challenges and solutions
“As a born-and-bred Londoner, I've witnessed first-hand the changes this vibrant city has undertaken —the rise of skyscrapers, the increasing number of tourists and the exciting new developments - and yes, the ever-present challenge of waste management. |
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