IWFM ambassadors salute the profession in schools as Institute looks ahead to World FM Day

One month from today, workplace and facilities managers of the world will unite in celebration and recognition of their profession to mark World FM Day.
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Christeyns Food Hygiene introduces new take on e-learning

Warrington based hygiene specialist, Christeyns Food Hygiene, has this week launched Moviemento, a fully adaptable Learning Management System and e-learning package designed to meet the stringent hygiene requirements of food and beverage production environments.
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EFCI's 2019 Conference - Meet the speakers

The European Cleaning & Facility Services Industry's 10th Conference, taking place on 28th June 2019, will open with the presentation of a trend report on the evolution of the industry for the past 30 years.
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Registration now open for ISSA show Canada 2019

The new ISSA Show Canada 2019 website is live and registration is now open for this trade show and conference, which takes place 11th -13th June, 2019, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Industry leaders and researchers prepare for CIRI Science Conference

The Cleaning Industry Research Institute has announced that the theme for the 2019 research symposium taking place 15th - 17th July at Miami University in Oxford, OH, US, is 'Connecting Research to Practice'. The conference is focused solely on sound science in the cleaning and remediation industries; all presentations are peer-reviewed for content and objectivity.
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School children not toilet trained? Little Accident Box clean up kit helps teachers cope

Health and wellbeing specialist Aroma Care Solutions has produced a Little Accident Box to help teachers deal with toilet accidents in the classroom. It comes as a councillor in the West Midlands revealed that a primary school has hired a nappy changer because some of its pupils are not toilet-trained.
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Edinburgh-based Topolytics named a top five global circular economy solution

Edinburgh waste analytics company, Topolytics, has been chosen by Google and SAP as one of the top five circular economy technologies globally. The Circular Economy 2030 Contest, organised by both tech giants, set out to find the best revenue-generating ideas that can unlock $4.5 trillion of new economic output.
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RIA and IICRC announce strategic partnership

The Restoration Industry Association and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification have announced a strategic partnership to enable each organisation to focus on its core mission and which will help elevate knowledge and professionalism within the industry.

In addition to providing an expanding list of rigorous educational programs, RIA hosts trade shows and conferences which highlight the latest technology, industry trends, best business practices and regulatory developments.
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2019 ISSA Innovation Award program open for submissions

ISSA is calling for entries for the 10th Annual ISSA Innovation Award Program, which is organised into five categories - Cleaning Agents; Dispensers; Equipment; Services & Technology; and Supplies & Accessories - each vying for the Innovation Category Awards and, ultimately, the Innovation of the Year.

"Innovation is the driving force behind progress," says Kim Althoff, ISSA vice president of sales, trade shows & publications. "In the most tangible terms, ISSA is helping to fulfill its mission of 'advancing clean and driving innovation' with this program, through which we support and recognise the latest in products and services our members are bringing to market."
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Ecocleen targets growth with new appointments

Commercial contract cleaning provider Ecocleen, has expanded its business development team to support the continued growth of the company within the UK. Vince Reddick (left) and Jack Lowe (below right) have been appointed as business development managers to take advantage of sales opportunities in London, East Anglia and the South West of England on behalf of Ecocleen's network of regional franchisees.
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BICSc unveils membership campaign, inviting members to share what it means to 'be BICSc'

The British Institute of Cleaning Science is launching a special month-long membership campaign in May, inviting members to share what it means to #BeBICSc alongside several incentives promoting membership uptake amongst the wider cleaning community.

The campaign will encourage current members to share a video or a few words on social media on what BICSc membership means to them using the hashtag #BeBICSc. The first 10 members to take part will receive £50 off their next membership renewal.
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Graphene sponge helps lithium sulphur batteries reach new potential

To meet the demands of an electric future, new battery technologies will be essential. One option is lithium sulphur batteries, which offer a theoretical energy density roughly five times that of lithium ion batteries. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, recently unveiled a promising breakthrough for this type of battery, using a catholyte with the help of a graphene sponge.

The researchers' novel idea is a porous, sponge-like aerogel, made of reduced graphene oxide, that acts as a free-standing electrode in the battery cell and allows for better and higher utilisation of sulphur.
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Chemicals specialist wins Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade

Chemicals specialist 2M Holdings - recently crowned Export Champion 2019 by the Department for International Trade - has now been given the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade, in recognition of significant export growth.

Headquartered in the UK, the company has international presence in Benelux, Brazil, China, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Scandinavia, and exports to over 90 countries.
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SC Johnson Professional relaunches innovative foam soap line

SC Johnson Professional has relaunched its Refresh foam soap line, with new formulations designed to elevate the handwashing experience. Available in a range of new signature fragrances and fragrance-free options, just one pump of product removes over 99% of dirt and germs, when used properly.

"Refresh products are designed to deliver a pleasant experience to encourage hand washing," says Mike Flagg, head of SC Johnson Professional's North American business.
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Comparison clean-up indicates reduction in littering and benefits of Clean Driver Scheme

Results from a voluntary clean-up by Cromwell Polythene in its local area to support The Great British Spring Clean 2019, indicate levels of rubbish have decreased significantly compared to last year and that the Clean Driver Scheme is helping.

The family-run business, which supplies a range of polythene products to aid recycling, annually supports the Keep Britain Tidy environmental campaign to eliminate litter and end waste. Last year, Cromwell Polythene collected 67.3Kgs of litter over a three-hour period from the Sherburn Industrial Estate where it is based. Its 2019 action in the same area led to a collection of 11Kg in 1.5 hours - an impressive 68% reduction!
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Principle nominates children's hospice as chosen charity

Principle Cleaning Services, the London-based cleaning specialist, which provides its services
to some of the most famous landmark buildings in the Capital, has chosen Richard House Children's Hospice as its nominated charity for 2019.

The company is aiming to raise £30,000, through various fundraising events, in recognition of its 30th anniversary this year.
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Hoppecke Industrial Batteries doubles UK service business

A series of new initiatives that support organic growth has enabled Hoppecke Industrial Batteries to double its UK service business turnover in just three years.

This achievement is attributable in part to growth in Hoppecke UK's battery and charger rental business. A targeted campaign to highlight the advantages to businesses of all sizes has seen orders rise from zero at start-up to several hundred rental batteries in 12 months.
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Kansas City business awards lifetime services to local veteran

Task Force Window Cleaning has awarded Joe Wolfe of Prairie Village, Kansas, free window cleaning, pressure washing and gutter cleaning for life. The company cleaned Joe's storm windows, soft washed his house, pressure washed his fence, driveway and patio, cleaned his gutters and cleaned his dryer vent on April 13, 2019.

Task Force Window Cleaning recently awarded the same lifetime service to a veteran of Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraq/Afghanistan at the VFW Post 846 BBQ Competition.
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ISS ranked first in ESG report

Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) rating agency Sustainalytics has ranked ISS first as the overall ESG leader among its industry peers.

ISS received the highest overall score of 84 out of 100 among the 89 companies rated in the 'Commercial Services' sector. Released yesterday, the Sustainalytics' ESG report highlights ISS as a leader on environmental, social and governance issues compared to its industry peers.
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Phone fear affects over half of UK office workers (but clearly not the one pictured)

The results of a survey of UK office workers suggests that we are becoming increasingly anxious about answering the phone at work. Telephone answering service Face for Business, has uncovered staggering statistics on the degree of call anxiety exhibited by UK office workers.

Fear of making or taking calls, also known as 'Telephobia', is a real thing that's not just limited to fear of calling a loved one or ordering a pizza.
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UK's oldest pub adopts newest food waste disposal technology

Established in the eighth century, Ye Olde Fighting Cocks Pub in the City of St Albans, Hertfordshire, was purchased in 2012 by Christo Tafelli. While committed to preserving the pub's history, Christo also endeavoured to create the greenest and most cost-efficient pub in all of England.
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Cleaner Havering campaign launched by Council

Havering Council has launched a new campaign aimed at making the borough cleaner and tidier, together with the help of residents. The Cleaner Havering campaign sees an extra £400,000 invested by the Council into street cleaning.
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FSA publishes 'Food and You' wave five survey report

The Food Standards Agency has published the findings for wave five of the 'Food and You' survey and the majority of respondents (87%) reported having seen the Food hygiene ratings for food businesses sticker.
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Deliveroo and Oxwash set to launch plastic container clean & recycle service

Deliveroo, in partnership with innovative cleantech company Oxwash, will be launching a first-of-its-kind takeaway container cleaning service for customers and restaurants in Oxford and Cambridge this Summer.
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2020 Kimberly-Clark Professional Golden Service Awards soon opens for entries

Once again celebrating the very best the industry has to offer, Kimberly-Clark Professional is proud to open entries for the 2020 Golden Service Awards on 20th May. Cleaning and facilities businesses are invited to submit entries that demonstrate exceptional standards of cleaning excellence.
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PHE's latest report on norovirus outbreaks in hospitals shows outbreaks reduce services

Public Health England's latest report on suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals (England) and norovirus laboratory reports (England and Wales), covering weeks nine - 13, 2019, shows that services are still having to be reduced in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
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Cleaning Show achieves record visitor numbers: 26% increase in footfall; delegates from 45 countries...

The Cleaning Show has reported that attendee numbers for the 2019 exhibition at Excel in London exceeded 7,000, with a 26% increase in visitors when compared to the 2017 show hosted at the same venue. Organisers have also reported that the number of foreign visitors increased yet again, and that representatives from 45 different countries attended the three-day expo.
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Efficient new bin lorries take to the roads

Scotland's North Lanarkshire Council has invested in 24 new bin lorries, which meet the latest European standards for emissions and have a number of safety features, including an automatic emergency braking system and a four-way camera system to give the driver full visibility.
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£1,500 fine highlights concerted effort to tackle fly-tipping culprits

Coventry Magistrates have fined a Coventry resident £1,437.35 after mattresses, paint tubs and several bags of household waste were found on Hollyfast Lane, Coventry. Among the dumped materials were a number of letters which linked the items to a Scott Miles.
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Students help to tackle textile waste with new video

Some 100kgs of textiles is thrown away into the general rubbish bin in West Sussex every five minutes, costing over £1 million pounds a year in disposal costs. To help reduce both the waste and the costs of its disposal - whilst education young people, the local authority went back to school... the Chichester Free School - and got its students involved in a new film aimed at getting more people in the county 'Tackling Textiles'.
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BICSc Annual Awards 2019 applications deadline looming

There are less than four weeks left to enter the 2019 British Institute of Cleaning Science Annual Awards, with the ceremony taking place on Thursday 26th September at Whittlebury Hall Hotel & Spa in Northamptonshire.

The winners are determined by a judging panel made up of industry experts, and provide a great opportunity to showcase an individual's, or organisation's, achievements to the wider cleaning industry, as well as BICSc community of over 30,000 members. Last year's winner of the 'Client Commitment to Training' award, Rosaleen Liard, chief executive officer of Chequers Contract Services says of her company's win:
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TC Facilities Management achieves £3M in new sales

TC Facilities Management has secured multiple new customers for the delivery of cleaning & window cleaning services in the wholesale, high street & commercial office sectors across the UK.

The contracts, worth £3 million per annum, will see over 300 colleagues join TCFM up and down the country since the contracts started going live from 1st March, 2019.
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Cleanology research reveals real attitudes to rates of pay

Almost two-thirds of employees are concerned that cleaners should be paid fairly. According to research commissioned by London-based contract cleaning firm Cleanology, 63% of staff care greatly about the rate of pay for cleaning operatives. However, only 39% have an accurate idea of the real figures on cleaning pay.
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CSSA Awards - event pictures available

Although we briefly covered the Cleaning & Support Services Association Awards in the week that they took place, the arrival of a link to some fabulous pictures of the event, including the presentations themselves and the many happy attendees, has prompted a revisit which should be of interest to those who may have missed our write-up because the London Cleaning Show was still in full swing...
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Interclean China 2024
11-13th December 2024
Shanghai
Website

American Cleaning Institute Industry Convention,
27-31st January 2025
Orlando, Florida
USA
Website

London Cleaning Show
18-20th March 2025
ExCel London
Website

ISSA Pulire 2025
27-29th May 2025
Rho Fiera Milano
Italy
Website

ISSA Show North America
10-13th November 2025
Las Vegas
Website