2021 was a year far from normal just like 2020, nevertheless, it has still been a year filled with great excitement for CountyClean.
Despite Covid-19 bringing us a national lockdown right at the start of the year and restrictions being in place for most of 2021, we were able to pull through due to the ongoing need for essential services being provided for our customer base. Covid has been tough but we have survived and now continue to expand and go from strength to strength. This is due to our brilliant workforce and management team.
The continuous operation of our 24/7 environmental services allowed us to carry on with fleet and equipment investments and the hiring of new staff. Our hard-working team have also still managed to accomplish countless achievements throughout the year.
Charity Efforts
With charities struggling throughout the pandemic due to fundraising efforts being reduced and even cancelled, we felt it was essential to carry on taking part in events throughout the year to support them and their missions.
In October, we celebrated St Wilfrid’s Hospice 40th Ruby Anniversary by wearing red and hosting a bake sale. The team managed to raise £310 which was very kindly topped up to £510 by Debbie and Mike Walker.
In December, the team hosted an annual Christmas Jumper Day in aid of the RNLI where £380 has been raised by staff and friends so far! This fundraising page is still open, donations can be made here.
Staffing News and Achievements
Despite adverse business conditions, CountyClean still invested heavily in existing staff and also welcomed some new faces.
As usual, the whole operations team have undergone industry-related and vehicle training courses which enable them to carry out CountyClean’s diverse range of services. Some of these courses include; Confined Space training, WJA High Pressure Water Jetting Safety
and the New Roads and Street Works Act training, a very well done to all those who have successfully passed. We have also welcomed some new staff members to assist with the growth and development of the operations and pumps side of our business.
We would also like to give a massive congratulations to Mike Bentley on passing his ADR qualifications along with gaining his HGV Class 1 license, meaning he is now able to drive articulated vehicles.
In the office, two new additions to the sales team were welcomed. Firstly, in May, Ian Fletcher joined the group as a Business Development Executive bringing with him twenty years of sales knowledge into a completely new industry. Ian was quick to prove himself through his ability to grasp all of CountyClean’s services and the workings of their specialist fleet.
Hayley Ryan also joined the sales team in December after working predominantly in solution-based sales for 15 years and we look forward to seeing how Hayley will broaden her knowledge and develop her career with us! In the new year, we will be welcoming three more new faces into the office to continue building upon the administration, sales and accounts teams.
Chris Eades took and passed his Operator WAMITAB Continuing Competence test in June. This is a test that is taken every two years and proves that we have technically competent staff with the knowledge and skills to ensure CountyClean’s Waste Recycling Facility complies with Environmental Permitting Regulations.
With the support and encouragement of CountyClean, Gaby Steel also completed and passed her Chartered Institute of Marketing Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing in April for which she was awarded a merit. Gaby started the course in January 2019 and was looking forward to having the opportunity to blend practical skills and academic learning to gain a broader and strategic understanding of marketing.
Investment in Latest Equipment
2021 saw the arrival of a new 8-wheeled vacuum tanker and an additional order put in for
three more vacuum tanker units!
Ensuring the arrival of these new vehicles is a part of our ongoing fleet investment plans to make sure customers are only sent the latest and highest specified equipment. This guarantees the delivery of quick, efficient and hassle-free services.
The new vacuum tanker that arrived in December 2021 was a 4,000 gallon capacity eight-wheeled unit that will be assisting with a variety of liquid waste removal jobs.
Business Expansion
Our waste recycling and disposal facility near Lingfield in Surrey has been successfully operating since 2016 and accepted various non-hazardous waste streams such as; road sweeper and gully waste, silt, sludges and slurry. Earlier in the year, we decided to apply to vary our existing permit to accept further wet waste and some solid waste streams at the site which was approved. We were overjoyed to announce that we are now able to accept 10 times as many EWC codes as before!
Remastered CountyClean Video
On 5th March we launched #CCGPremiere2! Our CountyClean promotional film which was produced by the very talented Smokescreen Visuals had a complete remaster. This included a DTS MA Soundtrack, newly created digital animations and some never-before-seen footage.
A Final Thought for 2021
We would love to thank our staff and suppliers for all their hard work and to thank our friends and loyal customers (old and new) for all their support shown over 2021 and we look forward to continuing these relationships in 2022 and beyond.
As per usual we do not close down over the festive period and holidays meaning we are available 24/7 in case of any emergencies should they arise.
Finally, we hope everybody had a very Merry Christmas and we wish you all the best for 2022 with the hope of returning back to some more normalcy!