Eco laundry bags disappear safely, saving the environment and money
Hot water-soluble laundry bags, made from Aquapak polymer have been made available in the UK by Australian distributor, DB Packaging.
The bags can be used to contain dirty or contaminated laundry and can be put directly into washing machines without the risk of direct human contact. As the bags dissolve safely in hot water, there is no plastic residue to dispose of that can potentially cause machine breakdown. Whilst retaining all the functionality of traditional plastic bags, they are also non-toxic, marine-safe and biodegradable.
Based in New South Wales, DB Packaging, an eco packaging company that provides innovative and environmentally sustainable packaging solutions, has worked with their manufacturer, Advent Packaging, to bring to market their range of cytotoxic laundry bags and food waste bags made from Aquapak’s HydropolTM polymer pellets.
DB Packaging‘s hot water soluble laundry bags are supplied to hospitals and care homes , hotels and commercial laundries. They approached Aquapak as they wanted an ‘eco’ version that would retain the strength, puncture resistance, barrier properties and durability of traditional laundry bags whilst reducing the amount of contaminated bed linen which had to be incinerated.
The resulting bags remove the process of having to remove laundry from bags before washing and negate the occupational health and safety risks when there is heavily soiled, infectious or cytotoxic content.
Commenting, director of DB packaging, David Beaver said, “HydropolTM from Aquapak is already changing the medical arena and will continue to improve the way both businesses and consumers can handle waste. There are many applications for this material but the real winner is the environment, as the material is water soluble, non-toxic and marine safe.” Mark Lapping, CEO at Aquapak added, “It’s fantastic to see Aquapak polymer being made into laundry and food waste bags that are transforming the way these are used in everyday processes. We look forward to seeing further innovative solutions from DB Packaging in the future.”
CLEAN has relaunched its Driver Academy in a bid to encourage more delivery drivers into the industry.
Professional drivers perform an essential role at CLEAN, delivering millions of pieces of linen and workwear annually to customers around the UK and with the business continuing to grow, the company is looking to increase its driver numbers from the current 205 it already employs.
However, with the UK currently facing a shortage of almost 50,000 HGV drivers caused by a 25 per cent drop in new driver license acquisitions, CLEAN has developed a plan to help boost numbers.
The CLEAN Driver Academy includes a full Induction process in van driving (B licence up to 3.5 tonnes MPW and no Driver CPC) and LGV driving (C1, C, CE over 3.5 tonnes MPW with a Driver CPC required).
The one-day Van Driver and LGV Driver training covers a wide number of areas, including speed awareness, vehicle checks, safe loading and load restraint, road craft, tachographs, manual handling, safe operation of tail lifts, and customer care. Assessments on certain areas will be held before participants sit a 50-question paper.
Papers for both courses require a 75 per cent pass rate, with successful candidates then considered for a delivery driver job with CLEAN.
As well as running the induction courses for new drivers, CLEAN runs a dedicated training programme to up-skill its current workforce. This includes Driver CPC training, regular Driver Assessments and driving style measurements from the vehicle telematics system, as well as post incident training.
In addition, CLEAN actively encourages employees in other departments, who express an interest in driving, to join the ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ project. This provides on the job training and assessments, along with access to the required driving test for the appropriate licence category. CLEAN has also taken a proactive approach in recruiting and mentoring newly qualified LGV drivers who may normally struggle to obtain employment.
Tim Bright, head of transport at CLEAN, said: “The impact of the driver shortage is affecting many businesses across the UK in an economy that is reliant on the movement of heavy goods. As CLEAN continues on its growth trajectory, we are more dedicated than ever to providing opportunities to both our existing and future employees that serve CLEAN and the UK transportation industry as a whole.
“Our plan is to not only eliminate many of the challenges and obstacles that have led to this shortage, such as the financial costs of becoming a HGV driver, but also provide high-quality training that will upskill our drivers to the benefit of the economy, as more qualified professionals strengthen the nation’s workforce.”
CLEAN previously ran its Drivers Academy in 2017.
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