Interesting news from Norway recently as the government committed to tackling rogue operations in its cleaning sector, and improving conditions for cleaning operatives. It’s fantastic to see policymakers take this key issue very seriously – so-called ‘cowboy’ cleaning outfits give everyone a bad name, and their practices can even involve the enslavement of some cleaners … Continued
A flurry of stories have recently hit the headlines about plastics and recycling, from demands for a tax on plastic drinking straws to the naming and shaming some of the worst offenders for unrecyclable packaging. This in turn has promoted renewed calls for manufacturers to produce packaging that can be used again and again, and … Continued
It is a waste of time, effort and resources to implement separate waste collection for healthcare facilities if staff and visitors are not on board with the initiative. Cromwell Polythene Managing Director James Lee explores the problem of good intentions failing at the point of disposal, and what can be done to tackle this. … Continued
It’s no coincidence that rejection rates at material recycling facilities (MRF’s) are increasing as the switch to commingling gains momentum. And where’s the sense in that? Are we seriously prepared to negate all those years of painstaking education, in which we preached the value-added virtues of separate waste streams, for the sake of a minority … Continued
“When one considers the impact of technology on the waste management sector, and in particular street cleaning, it’s common to think of products like Big Belly, the solar-powered compacting bins, sometimes referred to as ‘smart’ bins, which communicate their status to council collection crews in order to optimise emptying. Less front of mind in this … Continued
2016 has been a momentous year in more ways than one. While we all continue to absorb the effects of Brexit, especially those of us that trade internationally, and the full impact of the transitional leadership in the US on UK businesses has yet to be felt, the domestic market has also been characterised by … Continued
Something like a quarter of the UK’s 27.5 million dwellings are purpose-built flats or tenements, according to the 2011 Census, a percentage that in Scotland and some other regions is considerably higher. In London, for example, at least half of the population lives in flats. And the pressure to build new homes will continue to … Continued
We all use it. It’s part of everyday life. And, if you looked around you, I’m sure you’d find numerous plastic products in your eye line, immediately. But what do we really know about the substance? And why does it only seem to attract negative press? “Plastics ruin the environment – our oceans in particular! … Continued
You’re never too old to learn, they say. And despite more than 30 years of supplying sacks to the cleaning and janitorial market and local councils throughout the UK, I’m inclined to agree. I’ve been struck recently by the different approach taken by individual councils looking to address the issue of food waste collection, widely … Continued
As someone with a particular interest in food waste, not least the disparate ways in which local councils tackle this important waste stream, I eagerly accepted a recent invitation to tour, with a colleague, the GWE Biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Driffield, East Yorkshire, where food waste is converted into green energy and fertiliser. … Continued