L to R: Paul Budsworth from Johnson Diversey presents the GoldenService Award to Janice Anderson, client Jennifer Chester and Adrian Eady
A radical recycling scheme at Cambridge’s Hinxton Hall helped Strand, the company synonymous with top class cleaning in London’s iconic buildings, to win the coveted Johnson Diversey Environmental Awareness Award at this year’s Golden Service Awards. Strand managing director Jim Melvin said, “Winning this award demonstrates the great commitment of our staff and this client to reducing the Carbon Footprint. In 2008 we worked closely with the client to enhance our environmental responsibility - with dramatic results. We introduced a radical recycling programme and significantly reduced the volume of waste going to landfill. We now have total responsibility for waste management at this vast site.”
Around 68 per cent of the 272 tonnes of non-specialist waste produced at the Wellcome Trust’s Hinxton Hall site went to landfill in 2007. Waste separation and recycling incentives introduced by Strand the following year included the removal of individual desk bins and the introduction of audited recycling systems. Smart four-drawer recycling cupboards were installed to house paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and cups, cans and glass. Strand also began collating and logging waste management information and displaying this on notice boards throughout the contract.
“Thanks to our efforts only 48 per cent of the non-specialist waste produced in 2008 went to landfill,” said Jim. “This is 19 per cent below the national average for businesses. Projections for 2009 are that a further 12 per cent of waste will be saved from landfill and that 85 per cent of biodegradable waste will be captured on site.” Other environmental initiatives introduced by Strand included the installation of compaction and baling equipment and the introduction of a car-sharing scheme for staff.
More than 500 guests attended the awards ceremony held at London’s Lancaster Hotel. Introduced in 1991, the Golden Service Awards are open to all segments of the cleaning and support services industry. Judging was carried out by an independent panel including representatives from Cleaning and Maintenance magazine, the Cleaning and Support Services Association, the British Cleaning Council and the British Institute of Cleaning Science. Innovation, staff management, training and service quality and client relationships were among the assessment criteria.
“It quickly became clear who the 16 winners were,” said judge chair Paul Pearce. “Innovation, staff management, training and client relationship were among the main criteria assessed. Each of the winners of the 15 categories and the overall winner’s site received top marks across the board for clearly providing the gold standard in all of these criteria.”
