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World Earth Day 2024

This year, Earth Day is demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040, with the ultimate goal of ending plastic production altogether.

The theme ‘planet vs plastic’ is one which on this awareness day, we all play a part in.

Recycling can help reduce the amount of plastic waste ending up in landfills or the environment, however it does have limitations in terms of its impact on carbon emissions and microplastic pollution.

Here are some of things B Hygienic have done so far:

– Introduced a plastic and cardboard recycling station for all office based rubbish – the DEFRA regulation comes into force in March 2025 – preparing early for this is key to the success.

– Recycling stations for all cardboard, plastic waste from customer installations

– Educated our team on eco friendly products within the workplace

– Source eco-friendly materials – banning wipes containing plastic – this will soon be enforced by the government.

– Look for alternative forms of packaging

– Supported Unblocktober – a reminder of the collective responsibility we have in maintaining clean and hygienic washrooms.

– Big Blue Ocean Clean Up – renewed our partnership. We all have a responsibility to ensure we are working towards better sustainability, which means we can meet our own needs without compromising future generations

– Audit and minimise single-use plastics

We asked one of our youngest supporters Havanna, to draw the earth (see the photo attached) and to explain in her own words what she thinks World Earth Day is about; “Picking up plastic and all rubbish, so that animals can run around and have a good life”.

We think Havanna says it best – we all have a part to play and we should do this for our future generations.

If you would like to discuss options for your business to reduce plastics – we can help.

National Day of Reflection

A day to support those who lost loved ones during the pandemic and to remember those we lost.

Our Director Vicki shared her thoughts via our Instagram page on the times for B hygienic during COVID 19. We all have our memories and stories, Vicki worked through the time in our service office helping to source products and PPE. The local care homes and hospices struggled to obtain and we managed to help where we could.

We found it difficult to manage the price increases as we knew it didn’t seem right having to source products at a much higher value than they had been the month before. We were lucky to have such loyal staff who worked hard when they could.

We did increase our sales in hand sanitizer however we also credited all smaller businesses who had been forced to close, we were lucky that we did keep going but it didn’t mean a profit increase.

We all learnt alot during this time, being kind, accepting things change and not to take things for granted.

Simpler Recycling – prepare for March 2025

Recycling is a crucial practice for preserving our environment and conserving resources. However, it can sometimes feel like a daunting task, especially when it comes to sorting and preparing items for recycling. Fortunately, maintaining good hygiene practices can not only streamline the recycling process but also contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment.

The National ‘Simpler Recycling’ reforms under DEFRA regulations announced in October, mean all businesses in the UK – and organisations like hospitals and schools – must have separate food waste and recycling collections in place by the end of March 2025.

Who does it apply to?

Businesses with 10 or more full time equivalent employees will have to begin separating both dry recyclable and food waste streams for collection by March 31st 2025 with recyclable plastic film to be collected by March 31st 2027. If you’re a smaller business, with fewer than ten full-time employees, you’ve got until 31 March 2027, but it’s a good idea to take the opportunity to comply early – one less thing to worry about!

What can be recycled?

Recyclable materials to be separated from general waste include: Glass such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
Metal such as drinks cans and food tins
Plastic such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
Paper such as old newspapers and envelopes
Cardboard such as delivery boxes and packaging
Food waste including tea bags, coffee grounds, leftovers or waste generated by food preparation (NB. There is no minimum amount for food waste)

What preparation is required?

Getting into a good practise now is the best way to be ready for the implementation next March. Having recycling stations is the easiest way to set this up.
At B Hygienic we have 3 units currently – one cardboard, one for glass & metal and a general waste – this is helping staff understand the need to change our habits – all items are rinsed and put into the correct recycling unit.

Please get in touch with us if you would like any more information – we can help with your recycling station options.

It’s time to talk Peri/Menopause

33 million women in the UK who, at some stage in their life, will experience menopause. But, due to a lack of awareness among the public, a lack of training among some medical professionals and social stigma, their needs during this critical life change are frequently ignored, belittled or overlooked.

10% of women leave their jobs

Over half of working women aged 40-65 have experienced 3 or more symptoms of the menopause, including hot flushes (47%), night sweats (41%) and feeling tired (35%).

·Two thirds of those with 3 or more symptoms have lost interest in their work or made mistakes
·There are approximately 13 million peri or post menopausal women in the U.K
·There are more than 30 recognised symptoms of menopause

Perimenopause is when hormone levels begin to fluctuate and symptoms may appear, often in the early to mid forties.
Menopause is 12 consecutive months without a period, the average age is 51-52.
Postmenopause is the years following menopause.

·Symptoms last, on average, 4-8 years
·1 in 4 will experience very few symptoms
·3 in 4 will experience symptoms
·1 in 4 will experience debilitating symptoms

Menopause is a natural stage of life which affects most women and other people who have a menstrual cycle.
This can include
• trans people – ‘trans’ is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender is not the same as the sex they were assigned at birth
• people with ‘variations of sex development’ (VSD) – some people might prefer to identify as intersex or use the term ‘differences in sex development’ (DSD)

What should you expect from your Employer?

Conduct a risk assessment
Access to toilets
Provide drinking water
Air conditioning/fans
Providing a listening ear
Talk and listen sensitively
Find ways to give support
Have knowledge of the menopause and its effects
Know what support and guidance the organisation can offer

What can you do?

Contact your GP/ Practise Nurse – ask for blood tests and a well being check
Look for resources i.e the Balance app, available via your smartphone app store.
Refer to help websites: www.womens-health-concern.org
www.menopausematters.co.uk
www.daisynetwork.org
www.nhs.uk
www.queermenopause.com

Do not accept the symptoms if you are struggling – ask for help and seek out medical advice

International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day.

She is a Dreamer, she is a believer, she is a doer, she is an achiever, and that she is “You”.

This year the organisers of IWD are encouraging companies to get involved in the campaign by encouraging staff to take a photo of themselves striking the IWD 2024 pose and share your #InspireInclusion image, video, resources, presentation or articles on social media using the following hashtags
#IWD2024


The pose for this year is to simply to make a heart shape with your hands to show solidarity.

As a female led business we are very proud to be a part of this day, a day that women showed courageous actions to spark the movement and changes women need. By no means are we there yet but supporting each other we can be.

You may be wondering why you should celebrate International Women’s Day. Well, that’s because although a lot has changed for women, we still need the day to celebrate women’s achievements and recognise that we need to take further action towards gender parity.

Happy Women’s Day.

This life has no existence without a strong ally in ‘Woman’ in every stage of life starting from motherhood to wife, from sister and finally a daughter.

B Fresh Bio Cleaner

Continuing the theme of products we would like to highlight based on ‘testing’, this week we want to talk about our B Fresh Bio Cleaner. Nobody enjoys encountering unpleasant odors in men’s toilets, especially emanating from urinals. The smells can be off putting and make all the difference in impressions of customers. However we have found a great way to eradicate these smells!

– The key to combating odors is cleaning but with the right products
– There are a number of options that can work along side, for example urinal mats, urinal caps, air freshners but it is also important to provide ongoing cleaning of the urinal, pipes and surrounding areas.

B Fresh eradicates organic staining and odour problems from all washroom surfaces, including floors and walls contaminated with urine. Simply spray and wipe all ceramic surfaces to control scale and soiling. It contain species of micro-organisms/bacteria that are commonly found in the digestive tract and in soil.

We have used this ourselves on a number of areas to check it deserves a seal of approval. What we have noticed is that this product must be used on it’s own – there is no need for other cleaners i.e bleach as this can prevent the B Fresh working to it’s full effect – this also reduces costs of buying other products alongside. It has a minty fragrance which helps dissipate mal odours.

We used this on carpet which had been vomitted on – firstly removing any debris and soaking the residue, we sprayed the area twice over and the results were the smell had gone. We have used on carpet which has been urinated on – again the same process although 3 times and results were great. We have found this effective with pets who have accidents in the house as well. (No we are not a bunch of reprobates at B Hygienic – we just have children/dogs that have accidents!)

This is definitely a product we recommend and will continue to use ourselves!