Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 7th November 2024 Issue no. 1137
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 International News
Products Honoured in the ISSA 2024 Achievement Awards are…
 The value of lightweight backpack vacuum cleaners in care homes
New tool combats costly bin contamination – in seconds!
P-Wave launches limited edition urinal screen for high-end hospitality venues
New EU legislation tightens sustainability reporting & clamps down on greenwashing:
New EU legislation - the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Green Claims Directive - is to tighten sustainability reporting and combat greenwashing. The purpose of the legislation is to enhance transparency, accountability and sustainability in business practices. All businesses with operations or a market presence in the EU are affected. Lone workers face increased aggression, EcoOnline research finds
Robert Scott launches 100% compostable wipe for sustainable cleaning
Culture change: how becoming people-centric can transform a business
Kärcher spotlights incredible work of cleaning teams with its annual Thank Your Cleaner Day campaign
Celebrating 50 years of innovation from Harrison Wipes and Chicopee
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Welcome to the Cleanzine
OK, so I'm almost a week late with this, but Keep Britain Tidy only sent me the press release on Friday - the day its 'Buy Nothing New Month' 2024 initiative began. For me though, it's a message well worth sharing anyway - particularly as Black Friday falls later this month, on 29th, with the cheap, impulse-buy-inducing deals being carried through to Cyber Monday, three days later. Further, it’s part of a growing, global movement to reduce consumption and create a circular economy, sitting alongside ‘Buy Nothing Day’ - celebrated internationally in November, (and like Black Friday, on 29th this year) along with Australia's October ‘Buy Nothing New’ campaign.
The press release revealed that 70% of UK adults say Black Friday promotes the excessive consumption of goods. It also revealed that Black Friday alone is likely responsible for the release of around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and that 80% of the impulse purchases made (and their packaging) end up in landfill. When the charity surveyed those who took part in the last ‘Buy Nothing New Month', 73% had managed to buy nothing new throughout the month, with an additional 26% buying less stuff than they usually would have done. Equally importantly, 75% said they'd reused or repurposed what they had already, while 43% fixed, repaired, or mended an item. I’ve been repurposing and repairing for years. It gives me a lovely ‘smug’ feeling!
“People default to recycling rather than waste prevention and appear to lack understanding of what waste prevention (reduce and reuse) actually means,” argues Keep Britain Tidy. “This is in direct contrast with the waste hierarchy (more commonly communicated to consumers as 'reduce, reuse, recycle') which tells us that recycling is only the third best option when looking to reduce the environmental impact of what we purchase, use and dispose of. We need people to buy less and maximise the life of stuff that already exists: we urgently need the widespread adoption of waste prevention behaviours. Most engage in waste prevention but not necessarily extensively and most associate waste more with what they throw away than with what they buy. They consider 'wasting better' rather than 'wasting less'. This confirms a fundamental misunderstanding of the waste hierarchy, where waste is seen as something to be 'managed' rather than prevented. This lack of knowledge is a significant barrier to the take-up of waste prevention behaviours, which needs to be addressed.”
When I joined this industry one of the first things I discovered was the benefit of using concentrates rather than storing and transporting large bottles and packs of chemicals bulked up with water, (dilute to suit at point of use) along with using only as much chemical as is recommended by the manufacturer – a calculation massively aided by a dosing system. It’s great to be part of an industry that’s been spearheading waste prevention and sustainability for decades, don’t you think?
This Week's News
The transaction, the largest carried out in the Group's history, represents a strategic step in Sofidel's journey. Thanks to the acquisition of four production plants - Shelby, North Carolina; Lewiston, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada, and Elwood, Illinois - and the integration of some 1,700 employees - Sofidel increases its production capacity by 25% (340,000 metric tons/yr), expands its commercial offerings (two out of the six paper mill machines acquired are TAD - Through Air Drying machines - a technology widely used in the US), and optimises its geographic coverage. Does your fire assessment include Lithium-ion batteries?
The plant is said to have boasted one of the “most sophisticated” automated, remote supervised and controlled, fire suppression systems available... One that was designed to detect a fire before it even started. Soapbox: Gavin Graveson, Chief Executive Officer, Veolia UK & Ireland
"We were disappointed that the Plastic Packaging Tax was only increased in line with the Consumer Price Index and that the Treasury did not set more ambitious targets to increase recycled content. The PPT must be increased in line with the rises seen across the landfill tax rate and in preparation for the Emissions Trading Scheme to move more plastics from a waste to a resource.  Churchill lands three-year cleaning contract with Harbour Exchange
Based in the prestigious South Quay area of London, Harbour Exchange is a prominent commercial campus comprising of 10 modern buildings that feature state-of-the-art facilities and flexible office spaces to accommodate a range of businesses. Churchill will provide services to three areas: HX1 and HX2 towers and Harbour Exchange Square Waterside Campus.  Clean & Green Singapore Day 2024: A celebration of public hygiene and environmental stewardship
In support of the ongoing Year of Public Hygiene, CGS Day this year commenced with the opening of a new Public Hygiene Council CleanPod at West Coast Park. CleanPods are sheds located across parks, beaches and housing estates, where the public can access litter-picking tools such as tongs and pails, to organise their own community clean-ups. The new CleanPod brings the total number of CleanPods across Singapore to 21. Alchemy Cleaning trusts SmartTask to keep clients happy and staff safe
Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, Alchemy has an impressive workforce of highly trained operatives and supervisors who pride themselves on delivering a friendly and professional service – helped, these days, by SmartTask.   Spec the perfect washroom for any airport environment
That's why it has launched its new airport resources page showcasing solutions that address the needs of contemporary airport washrooms. Christeyns Food Hygiene acquires cleaning and disinfection partner
Warrington based Christeyns Food Hygiene (CFH) has acquired H&M Disinfection Systems, which designs, manufactures and installs cleaning and disinfection systems for the food, dairy and beverage industries. Kingston Council awards environmental services contract to Veolia
The contract, which will begin in April 2025, includes recycling & waste collection, street cleansing and winter maintenance services. Veolia, a leader in the decarbonisation of recycling and waste services, will support Kingston Council to help deliver its ambition of carbon neutrality by 2030 and prepare for new legislation, such as Simpler Recycling. Expanded partnership means Atlas will enhance Bright Horizons’ nurseries nationwide
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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
Safe methods of isolation of platform controls on mobile elevating work platforms
The investigation is ongoing but in the meantime, the HSE has been working with the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) to develop the following guidance on the safe methods of isolation of platform controls for MEWPs. Liberty Hygiene cleans up environmentally with BigChange Job Management System  Liberty Hygiene is using a BigChange job management system to achieve its carbon neutral aspirations.
Offering linen and floor care, as well as pest control and washroom services, Liberty Hygiene uses the six-in-one, cloud-based solution to improve the utilisation and management of its fleet as it transitions to all electric. Metsä Group's 2025 Sustainability Awards submission window closes with 91 entries
Meet Jangro AI Beta: The Smart Cleaning Assistant
Events & Exhibitions WFBSC Global Summit London Cleaning Show The Workplace Event ISSA Pulire 2025 Hygienalia ISSA Show North America |
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