cleaning Archives

Join the Big Recycling Hunt this Recycle Week

Posted on 16 October, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

This year for Recycle Week (16-22 October), at Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP), we’re supporting WRAP’s messaging calling for a Big Recycling Hunt and focusing in on ‘missed capture’: items that are recyclable but are commonly missed. Whether it’s food waste from your staff canteen, cardboard packaging from deliveries or on-the-go plastic bottles, the cost of forgotten recycling for your facility could be more significant than you think.

With 75% of warehouse and logistics businesses facing pressure from customers to improve the sustainability of their operations, and with tougher legislation on the way for businesses in Wales, we explore how your facility can improve recycling rates and cuts costs simply by implementing efficient multi-stream systems.

Why join the hunt?

When you consider that 91% of packaging waste ends up in landfill and that in the UK alone 7 million tonnes of paper and cardboard is landfilled every year rather than being recycling correctly, the scale of the problem of ‘missed capture’ is clear. Correctly handling waste in your warehouse not only directly benefits the planet but it could save you space, time and money while increasing your business’ efficiency.

But can simply upgrading your waste management system lead to tangible results? After installing multi-stream Slim Jim ® Recycling Stations across various sites at their facilities, leading European logistics company DPD reported taking their recycling efficiency rate to over 90% and achieving 27% cost savings from not sending waste to landfill. As well as cost and productivity savings, collecting and storing waste correctly makes for a cleaner, safer and more efficient workplace.

Different solutions for different areas

When it comes to recycling solutions, one size does not fit all. If you want to implement a successful recycling system, you must consider that different areas of your facility will require different types of waste containers.

The shop floor is the beating heart of any warehouse and with tonnes of materials and goods being moved on an hourly basis it’s essential that your waste management is fit to handle high volumes and tough demands. Handling large volumes of waste in tough environments, the RCP BRUTE® range of waste containers helps your team to drive efficiency, with long-term peace of mind though a 10-year warranty. By prioritising durability, you can buy better and waste less, helping your business to protect budgets in the long run while boosting sustainability credentials by minimising the need to frequently replace poor quality products. When it comes to moving waste around your facility, the Wheeled BRUTE®’s ergonomic design helps your team to move large volumes five times more easily, while prioritising safety and comfort.

When considering the overall waste management of your facility it’s important to include the specific needs in your administrative areas, canteens and staff rooms. For these areas, the need for a system that ensures the effective separation of waste without compromising on space is key. Encourage effective separation with visible, modular solutions that allow staff to easily separate their waste into relevant recyclable streams. This will minimise the risk of costly cross-contamination, as well as help you to save money and improve your business’ green credentials. The RCP Slim Jim® Recycling Stations are discreet, space-efficient and customisable to suit each area of your facility.

Start your Big Recycling Hunt today with RCP’s free online recycling audit. Answer six simple questions about your business’ current waste management operation, and in 90 seconds you’ll have indicative cost and waste savings.

Diesel Truck Particulate Filter Cleaning

Posted on 3 February, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

In line with its five-year expansion strategy to meet the anticipated growth in cleaning demand from major truck manufacturers and operators, Ceramex has seen its diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning volume increase by 15% year on year.

The number of DPFs processed has significantly increased from before the pandemic with regular weekly throughput of more than 2,000 units per week. Increased logistics fleet activity both nationally and in Europe and the expansion of its customer base has contributed to the uplift in volume, helped by the company’s ability to process a significantly larger volume of DPFs, following its relocation to a brand-new, 67,000 square-foot facility in Reading in 2021.

As 2023 gets underway, Ceramex, which is the UK’s leading provider of patented DPF cleaning, remanufacturing and inspection services, anticipates an even busier year in response to rising customer demand.

Barney Milles, Managing Director of Ceramex, commented:

“Our performance over the last year clearly demonstrates the demand for cleaning and remanufacturing of commercial DPFs. Having our Reading facility fully operational with scope for increased capacity, positions Ceramex as a UK market leader in scalable DPF cleaning for HGV, PSV and off-highway vehicles. There are over 400,000 diesel-fuelled HGVs operating in the UK, plus thousands of foreign registered trucks, so it’s vital to keep their emissions control systems running as efficiently as possible, in accordance with Euro VI emissions regulations. Overall, our mission is to help keep truck fleets emission-compliant and operating cost-efficiently, which also demonstrates the commitment of Ceramex to helping customers reduce costs whilst driving towards cleaner air.”

Diesel Particulate Filter cake

Ceramex’s patented Xpurge® DPF cleaning process uses a combination of purified water and air to remove accumulated soot and ash deposits from the filter. As the deposits are suspended in water, there is no risk of them entering the atmosphere. The cleaning process removes between 350-450g of soot and ash from each filter, which restores it to at least 95% or more of brand new functionality, thereby avoiding the need for a brand new and costly DPF.

Each DPF is quality checked with Ceramex’s patented Veritex® automated inspection technology, which uses light and infrared transmission to verify a DPF’s internal condition. This technology provides an image of the internal structure of the filter, identifying any blockages, exotherm damage and cracks. Veritex® also provides a visual confirmation that the filter has been cleaned properly and generates a unique record of the DPF’s condition every time it’s cleaned, enabling filters to be monitored throughout their service life.

The resultant soot and ash that’s collected forms a ‘filter cake’ of particulate matter. Ceramex ships approximately 30 tons per year to a waste management partner for further treatment prior to its disposal as non-hazardous waste at a licensed landfill site.

Making the case for warehouse cleaning robots

Posted on 7 May, 202125 July, 2025 by David Priestman

As the UK economy bounces back and warehouses and logistics providers are busier than ever, Jonathan Stacey of Crescent Industrial asks whether warehouse cleaning robots are an expensive vanity or a cost-saving reality.

Volumes are climbing, labour is short meaning housekeeping tasks like floor cleaning are squeezed at a time when hygiene and health are more important than ever.

That’s why future-thinking logistics leaders are increasingly turning to automation. But are robotic floor cleaners an expensive vanity for cash rich businesses looking to dazzle customers with “innovation”, or are they a truly market-ready method of warehouse cleaning with genuine cost saving benefits?

The UK’s leading logistics providers are finding the latter. So far, UK deployments of the Sweep XL robot floor cleaner has automated cleaning and brought a plethora of positive results to warehouse providers across the country. Not only is labour resource freed for higher value tasks, but consistent cleaning schedules deliver a healthier workplace and automated updates provide transparent reporting on what was cleaned and when. There are many more benefits, but you get the drift.

“That sounds expensive?” I hear you say. Contrary to popular belief, the Sweep XL robot delivers a healthy saving compared to the cost of traditional cleaning in most large warehouse applications. When comparing the costs of traditional cleaning (equipment rental, service support and labour rates) coupled with mediocre outcomes to a fully automated cleaning system, traditional cleaning quickly looks outdated, expensive and inefficient.

“My warehouse is too busy”, you may be thinking. “Fork lifts, LLOPs, PPTs, pedestrians and myriad other moving things means automation is not appropriate for my warehouse.” But don’t be too quick to dismiss the power of today’s automation. The Sweep XL has a super smart system of navigation including a vast array of lidars, sensors and ultrasonic ‘eyes’. This means the Sweep XL delivers cleaning in changing, dynamic spaces whilst avoiding obstacles and moving objects, the robot will even clean inside pallet bays when they’re empty!

So maybe automation is closer to a cost-saving reality than you may have first concluded. Being truly autonomous (meaning the robot self deploys, self-empties and self-recharges) the Sweep XL is helping deliver safer and healthier workplaces leaving you free to focus on higher-value tasks. Furthermore, companies are finding the Sweep XL a perfect low risk-way of introducing automation to the workplace, whilst demonstrating the value of true innovation to customers who have ever growing expectations.

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