First impressions count – but so does sustainability

“A typical leisure venue makes major environmental savings if it switches to using our technology,” Cleanology CEO Dominic Ponniah says. “Cleanology was the first company in Europe to introduce portion-controlled biotechnological sachets for cleaning solution, as part of its commitment to chemical-free cleaning, reducing waste, and driving down overheads for customers.

“Using too much product wastes valuable resources. An extra cupful of solution every couple of days might not seem disastrous but multiply that over a year and across the 450,000 people working in the cleaning industry, and the impact becomes significant.

“Cleanology, and most other companies, used to use 16,200 litres of cleaning solution, but using our Ph-neutral, chemical-free sachets brings that total down by 99.4%. Considerably less water is required too. This results in buying smaller quantities of product and paying less to transport it, not to mention the reduction in the unnecessary manufacture of products.”

Ensuring that a leisure venue, from kitchen to front of house, is perfectly clean at the start of every day is a must, and as they generally operate ‘out of office hours’, Cleanology’s cleaning operatives usually start at 5am. If that’s not possible, then a special contract can be arranged to accommodate a client’s needs. Beyond cleanliness, are there other challenges in ensuring that a venue’s ambiance is enhanced and that customers enjoy their visit?

“Smell can be a major problem at leisure venues,” Cleanology sales director Stephen Lynch says. “Cleanology strongly suggests investing in wall mounted automatic air fresheners to keep things smelling fresh in the toilets. 

“Although more expensive, it is worth spending the money on our quality assured, environmentally friendly and soft Cheeky Panda toilet tissue. It is made from 100% recycled bamboo from FSC approved forests and is award winning for being sustainable, affordable luxury toilet paper that is super absorbent.”

Recycling reaps rewards

Recycling is top of the environmental agenda and if a leisure venue does not have a clear recycling plan, its contract cleaning provider can help it to develop a solution. Core recycling services are paper, plastic, cans, glass and food, but the company also has a policy of zero waste to landfill. For businesses which follow the waste hierarchy, this is critical. Once items have been reused or recycled, recovery is the next best option.

“Cleanology operates a zero waste to landfill policy meaning that anything that can be, will be, recycled,” Stephen Lynch says. “We help companies create a recycling system that enables them to meet their commitments. We provide bin rental services and with the appropriate bags. We also operate a daily collection service meaning that rubbish won’t build up. We don’t allow food waste to go to landfill either instead, we recycle it or decompose it if necessary.

"Cleanology saves money in the long run by doing this, and it helps a venue avoid fines from their local council. Essentially, for a venue operator, we relieve stress, save them money and they get to help save the planet at the same time.”

Cleanology cleaning operatives are trained to manage bin systems according to the specific building requirements. All cleaning operatives are trained to become multi skilled operatives (MSO) which means that they can operate multiple services including kitchen deep cleans. This includes kitchens where Cleanology provides special food waste sacks which can also be recycled. For public spaces Cleanology also provides regular waste and recycling bags for ease of use. And in a venue's offices, research shows that desk bins encourage the generation of waste, so the use of desk bins is discouraged.

Cleanology champions the use of towels or paper towels at all washroom sites, rather than electric hand dryers. Unlike an electric hand dryer, which clocks up CO2 emissions and running costs and take thousands of years to degrade, paper towels are either recyclable or quickly biodegrade.

“Our paper towels – from sustainable commercial forests – are 100% recycled and are recyclable,” Stephen Lynch adds. “Cleanology also offers a cleaning service for towels, which is an even cheaper and more environmentally friendly approach.”

Electric dreams

With so many clients to service and cleaning operatives needing to be on site at all hours, transport logistics is another area where Cleanology has sought measurable sustainability improvements. It now operates a 100% electric and hybrid car fleet and provides company travel cards for staff. Despite company growth, overall fuel consumption has decreased by over 2%, with a decrease of 14.7% per vehicle in one year. Future plans include a switch to hybrid vans.

Finally, achieving ISO:14001 accreditation has helped define Cleanology’s policies and identify areas for improvement. Cleanology monitors all aspects of its environmental footprint and works hard to reduce waste and energy usage. In the past year, electricity usage has fallen by 15.5% and gas usage by 10.8%. 

Cleanology is committed to continuous measurable environmental sustainability gains and is able to help its leisure industry clients achieve the same, important standards.