* Cleanzine-logo-8a.jpgCleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 5th November 2026 Issue no. 1233

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International News
Products

ACI looks forward to working with new congress on cleaning industry priorities

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Following the 2026 midterm elections, American Cleaning Institute president and CEO Jennifer Abril released the following statement:
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Trade bodies urge UK government to align packaging measures as costs rise

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EDANA – the global Association which represents more than 250 companies in the nonwovens industry, is amongst the Industry Associations calling on the UK Government to address the cumulative impact of packaging taxes and regulations on businesses and consumers.
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Clean Harbors announces Eric Gerstenberg as CEO; Mike Battles to retire as co-CEO and director

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Clean Harbors, which provides environmental and industrial services throughout North America, has announced that Eric Gerstenberg (pictured) will serve as sole chief executive officer effective 1st January 2027. Mike Battles is to retire as co-CEO and a member of the company's Board of Directors on 31st December 2026, and will serve in a strategic advisory role to the company in 2027.
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How big is the infection control market, and what is driving its growth?

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The global infection control market is valued at USD 58.5 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 80.2 billion by 2031, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 6.5% over the forecast period (2026-2031), according to a new study by Wissen Research.
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New GP Pro survey: Exposing workload strain, efficiency gaps and demand for smarter, simpler tools

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GP Pro, a division of Georgia-Pacific and a leading innovator in advanced dispensing and smart monitoring solutions, has this week announced the findings of its Annual Maintainer Mindset Survey, an ongoing benchmark study that evaluates the mindsets, work habits and operational realities of commercial facilities maintenance workers.
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ZwitterCo announces strategic investment from Ecolab to drive water circularity

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Industrial wastewater filtration specialist ZwitterCo has announced a strategic investment from global water and infection prevention leader, Ecolab.
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New project converts landfill gas into pipeline-quality natural gas

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The Landfill Group, in partnership with LS Power, has commenced operation of a project collecting and upgrading landfill gas into pipeline quality renewable natural gas (RNG) at the Pine Grove Landfill in Columbus, Georgia. The project marks a historic milestone as the first RNG facility in the area, transforming landfill gas into a valuable, renewable energy resource.
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Rubbermaid's 34-gallon Brute earns 2026 Pro Tool Innovation Award

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Rubbermaid Commercial Products' Brute 34-gallon Trash Can with Lid has received a 2026 Pro Tool Innovation Award (PTIA) in the Disposal category.
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Uni Europa calls on EU to follow Iceland’s new procurement guidelines for cleaners

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Yesterday, in response to union pressure, Iceland’s Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs issued new stricter guidelines for public procurement cleaning contracts that strengthen collective agreements and measurable work targets.
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BSCAI announces 2026 Clean Awards and Stephen H Swigart Scholarship recipients

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The Building Service Contractors Association International has announced the recipients of the 2026 BSCAI Clean Awards, which recognise excellence among building service contractors and industry leaders.
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Tennant introduces Its first autonomous robotic vacuum: the P1 VAC

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On Tuesday, Tennant Company announced the launch of the P1 VAC, the company's first autonomous robotic vacuum. Designed to make robotic cleaning approachable and practical for everyday commercial environments, the P1 VAC combines autonomous vacuuming and dust mopping with a side brush that sweeps debris from walls and edges into the machine's cleaning path.
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Global Handwashing Day highlights FM's role in hand hygiene

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An empty soap dispenser or a nonworking sink can stand in the way of proper handwashing. In recognition of Global Handwashing Day today, October 15th, Bradley Company is highlighting the essential role facilities managers and maintenance professionals play in keeping washrooms clean, stocked and ready to support hand hygiene.
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Welcome to the Cleanzine

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Are John Austen and I the only ones suffering from technology problems lately? I do hope so, as they're so stressful! I'm still without my Virgin Media emails and know there will be thousands unread which I'll be scanning through and responding to if need be, once I'm back in. As a reminder, please send all press releases in future to [email protected] 

But it's not only Virgin... over the past couple of weeks not all my emails (gmail) have been getting through to John. As a result he wrote last week's Leader, fearing that something had happened to me as it wasn't showing in Dropbox and I didn't appear to be responding to his requests for it! The Leader I'd prepared is here:

"With my daughter heading back down south for a visit last week I was forced to tackle the mountain of baby clothes, bouncers, toys, travel cots and other equipment that her twin sister - with a toddler - was storing in her bedroom 'out of the way' before taking it to the charity shop or selling it on eBay. It took two days and made me despair...

Not because of the physical work but because of how much 'stuff' there was. Some clothing that had been bought new and which was barely worn, looked in worse condition than the few favourites I'd saved from when my girls were tiny, which were still 'good as new'. We've turned into a throwaway society and clearly lots of the baby clothes now being manufactured, clearly aren't made to last for very long - not good for the planet!
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Yours,

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Jan Hobbs


This Week's News

ICCA Awards 2026: Ireland celebrates its best!

* ICCA-Awards.jpgThe cream of the Irish cleaning industry gathered recently in Dublin's fabulous Mansion House building, to discover and applaud the winners of the Irish Contract Cleaners Association Industry Awards 2026. The Awards are the ICCA's flagship event which takes place every two years. This year it was hosted by comedian Mario Rosenstock.

"Cleaning is work that most people only notice when it isn't done,” said the ICCA’s Jillian Wilson."Today was about noticing it. The people honoured here keep hospitals safe, campuses open and workplaces running, and many of them have built long careers doing it. These Awards are our industry's way of saying thank you, and of showing what a career in cleaning can look like."
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Assist FM joins the BCC, strengthening the sector's voice

* Assist-FM.jpgThe British Cleaning Council has welcomed Assist FM as its latest member, saying the addition will strengthen the cleaning, hygiene & waste sector's voice.

There is considerable synergy between the BCC and Assist FM and the move will support the BCC's role as the voice of the UK's £72bn cleaning, hygiene & waste sector.
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ISSA announces 2026 Achievement Awards Honorees

* ISSA-announces.jpgISSA has announced the 2026 ISSA Achievement Awards honorees, in its annual program that recognises professionals who are driving the industry forward through their contributions in their businesses and beyond.

These five honorees will be recognised on 17th November during the ISSA Spotlight Event & Awards ceremony at ISSA Show North America 2026, which takes place 16th -19th November at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
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Why packing bottlenecks often start at the bench

* Why-Packing-Bottlenecks.jpegIn busy warehouse, logistics and fulfilment environments, packing is often one of the final steps before an order leaves the operation. By this point, most of the hard work has already happened. Products have been picked, moved, checked and prepared for dispatch. But when the packing area is not set up to support the pace of the operation, it can quickly become the point where everything slows down.

When packing starts falling behind, it's easy to assume more labour is needed. In reality, the constraint is often the workstation itself. Adding more people to an inefficient packing environment rarely solves the underlying problem. Packing doesn't usually slow down because people aren't working hard enough. More often, it's because the process is making their job harder than it needs to be.

The bench has a bigger impact than it may seem…
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Cleaner & Greener programme delivers 37% surge in community clean-up requests

* Cleaner-Greener.jpgResidents across Caerphilly County Borough in Wales are seeing the benefits of increased investment in the Cleaner & Greener Programme, with 290 requests now actioned.

The Programme focuses on a range of improvement works, including ward cleansing, weed removal, mechanical sweeping, route cleansing, vegetation clearance, gateway enhancements, sign cleaning and graffiti removal.
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Green Loop puts in phenomenal performance at Hyde Park festival

* GREEN-LOOP.jpgThe Green Loop closed loop end of life recycling solution from paper hygiene products manufacturer Northwood was used at London’s Hyde Park music festival this Summer. Green Loop successfully collected more than half a million used paper hand towels that would otherwise not have been recovered for recycling.

Northwood collaborated with cleaning service supplier and contractor Nu Group, waste collection provider B-Sure Recycling and end user BST to recycle over 790Kg of hand towels at American Express presents BST Hyde Park - a major festival, which brought thousands of attendees for eight days of live music.
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Six hours to save worker's arm severed in machinery incident

* Surgeons-in-machinery-incident.jpegA clinical waste disposal company has been fined £300,000 after one of its workers severed his arm from the elbow down while unblocking machinery.

The man - who was 42 at the time of the incident in February 2022 - had been working his usual night shift at Tradebe Healthcare National’s site on Elgin Industrial Estate in Swindon. He was with a colleague when he attempted to clear an obstruction on an autoclave machine. His left arm became trapped and was crushed by the door - severing it from the elbow down.
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Free app maps and prices exterior cleaning job on more than 17 million commercial buildings

* Every-commercial-building.jpgTwo months after launching in Texas, SkyPSI is taking its bet on working people national. The company announced the launch of Operator+, a free app that maps every commercial building in the US and prices drone cleaning jobs on each one.

The application covers 17.1 million buildings across the country, with the average commercial job worth $13,500. The best part is that anyone can open it, all that's required is a Google account.
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jobs.thecleanzine.com: the global hub for Cleaning & Facilities Management Executive Recruitment

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We are thrilled about our global management employment hub. Leveraging our trusted Cleanzine network, we have built this dedicated platform to connect top-tier pest control technicians, supervisors, area managers, and senior Facilities Management executives with leading employers across North America, the UK, Europe, and Australasia. With 70+ jobs listed why not take a look by clicking the link below.

https://jobs.thecleanzine.com

 

The Cleanzine Archive Search

We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The Cleanzine. If you would like to run a search of the The Cleanzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for.

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How to contact us at The Cleanzine:

Jan Hobbs
Publishing Editor
Email: [email protected]

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John Austen
Publishing Director
Media & Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1580 754 671

Email: [email protected]

 

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Hospital Hygiene

Hospial Corridor

Our weekly updated Hospital Hygiene features current developments and product solutions cleaning and hygiene industry manufacturers are coming up with. Read More.


Recent UK News

Download industry expert’s ‘Supervisors Handbook’ for free!

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Being a good cleaner does not automatically prepare you to supervise a cleaning team. Promotion brings new responsibilities: allocating work, supporting colleagues, checking standards and dealing with difficult conversations. Newly promoted supervisors need practical support as they find their feet.

Cleaning and facilities management expert Tommy Taylor has written a cleaning supervisor's handbook to help those who find themselves in this position, to navigate those first days and months with greater confidence.
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Peartree supports long-serving colleague’s community music group with £1,000 donation

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Peartree Cleaning Services has pledged £1,000 to support the Alabanza Group, a community group of singers and musicians led by key account manager Ney Guzmán. The donation will help the Dulwich-based group purchase new musical instruments and equipment, enabling its members to continue performing and bringing people together through music.
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Mrs Buckét becomes 2nd Welsh business to bag CX Excellence Mark

 

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Commercial cleaning company Mrs Buckét has become the second company in Wales to be awarded the Insight6 CX Excellence Mark, which acknowledges its outstanding commitment to customer experience.

The accolade, awarded through the Insight6 CX Excellence Recognition Scheme, celebrates businesses that put customers first, actively listen to feedback, invest in their teams and embed high service standards into everyday practice. Bluestone was the first Welsh company to achieve the Award earlier this year.
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What your FM client checks in your COSHH, and the five gaps they find

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Cleaning contractors rarely lose a contract over the cleaning; they lose it over the paperwork behind it, argues Nathan Winter, founder of swiftRMS. Here Nathan sets out what an auditor looks for in a cleaning contractor's COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessments, and how to close the gaps before the next visit…
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Edinburgh Leisure achieves Gold Bog Standard accreditation: supporting men living with incontinence

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Edinburgh Leisure has achieved the Gold Bog Standard accreditation by introducing dedicated male incontinence bins and product dispensers across its venues.
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SBFM appointed to GCA framework

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Soft services cleaning provider SBFM has been named as a supplier on Government Commercial Agency's (GCA) RM6378 Facilities Management & Security Services framework. This strengthens SBFM's ability to support public sector organisations in the UK.
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Churchill Group celebrates ‘financial freedom’

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Three years after transitioning to an employee-ownership model, Churchill Group has fully repaid the loan that was taken out to fund the purchase of the shares on behalf of the Employee-Ownership Trust (EOT). This is commonly referred to as 'financial freedom' day in the EOT world, as it marks the time when the business has more capital to invest in itself and its people.
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Edwards Commercial Cleaning celebrates Sustainability Award win

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Edwards Commercial Cleaning, founded in 2003, has been named the Environment Award (Large Business) winner at the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce's Raising the Bar Awards 2026.
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Antony Collett strengthens ISS UK & Ireland’s Technical Services capability

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ISS UK & Ireland has appointed Antony Collett as managing director of Technical Services, effective immediately. Antony joins the company's senior leadership team and will report to Graeme Cameron, chief operating officer, Operations Performance.
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Events & Exhibitions

CleanEurasia 2026
5-7th November 2026
In cooperation with ISSA Pulire
Istanbul

Website

ISSA Cleaning & hygiene Expo
8-9th November 2026
Melbourne
Australia

Website

Paper & Tissue Show London 2026
11-12th November 2026
Excel
A proven exhibition series, now launching in the UK

Website

ISSA Show North America
16-19th November 2026
Las Vegas
USA

Website

WFBSC Global Executive Congress
17-19th November 2026
Las Vegas
USA

Website

The Cleaning Show
16-18th March 2027
Excel, London
Website

CMS Asia
8-10th June 2027
Singapore
Website


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