Kiko Matthews completes her Kik Plastic Tour

That’s it folks! The Kik Plastic Tour is now complete.

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the inspirational Kiko Matthews! What an phenomenal achievement – check out the tour’s awesome results!

🚴🏼‍♀️ 6900 km cycled
🏔climbing 7x Everest sea to summit
👫1960 volunteers joined us
🏖 on 78 beach cleans. …
🗑collecting 3436 kg of waste removed.
.
Thanks to everyone who took part in a beach clean, Team Kiko for all her hard work, all the accommodation hosts,  Pinarello for the awesome bike, all the beach sponsors!

Helping Hand Environmental  sponsored the first clean up at Margate, then Bude and Great Yarmouth! Our colleagues have loved taking part with Kiko and donating the tour official  litter picking equipment which has helped on 78 beach cleans involving nearly 2,000 volunteers and collecting 3436 kg of litter!

 

Find out more about the tour and the inspirational Kiko Matthews at www.kikomatthews.co.uk


#kikplastic #doneanddusted #beachclean #oceanwaste #oceanplastic #passonplastic #keepbritaintidy #ukcircumnavigation #ireland #cycling

And The Winner Is…

Thank you for all the nominations for our #LoveParks toolkit competition.
From setting up a Litter Hit squad; community groups that are out Litterpicking every weekend; a family out litterpicking every day – you are our #LitterHeroes – thank you.
Every nomination has been put into the hat and the following 5 lucky winners of a #LoveParks Toolkit are:
– The Pick Up Artists
– Newquay Litter Heroes
– Tamworth Volunteer Litterpickers
– Thornby Community Litter Project
– Tidy Up n Adur
Our #LoveParks competition kit is on its way too you – many congratulations!
Can we personally congratulate all the nominees for all the outstanding work you do – you are all winners making a difference.
Don’t forget to tag & share your stories – and watch this space for new campaigns coming up in 2019.

Nominate your #LoveParksWeek Hero

📢 Competition Time 📢

This week, to celebrate LOVE PARKS WEEK (12th-21st July) across the UK, Helping Hand Environmental are giving away TEN Love Parks tool kits!

To nominate your local park champion, community group or eco-school click https://hhenvironmental.co.uk/contact-us enter the details of who you are nominating in the comments box and why and that’s it!

Closing date July 22nd.

The content of the Love Parks Tool Kit is highlighted in the image below.

Please only nominate your Hero if you know this is the right prize for your nominee’s campaign, and benefit them, their community group or school project.

Ten luckily winners will be selected at random and announced on July 23rd.

Who is your #LoveParksHero….

#PlasticFreeJuly – Our Top Tips

As part of #plasticfreejuly campaign, Helping Hand Environmental been attempting to cut back on unnecessary single use plastics.

So, how do you keep that momentum going? Here are 5 ways to keep the momentum up when it all feels a bit bleak or you are unsure on handle single use plastics:

1 EDUCATION IS KEY

Whilst initiatives such as Plastic Free July are a fab starting point, the momentum can start to diminish as soon as the next monthly challenge takes centre stage.  We read books like ‘No more plastic’ by Martin Dorey and ‘How to Live Plastic Free’ by Marine Conservation Society, we look at heart-breaking photographs and watch programmes like Blue Planet, follow influence bloggers on Twitter. Remind yourself why you are trying to become Plastic Free at home and at work.

2. STATS NEVER LIE

We use 300 MILLION TONNES of plastic each year. Every day, approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans. Less than half of plastic bottles used in the UK are recycled – and over 150 plastic bottles litter each mille of UK beaches. 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually. It’s estimated that there is now 5.25 trillion macro and micro plastic pieces floating around in the open ocean.

We can all lend a helping hand in the fight against plastics!

We have reduced single use plastic from our work stations and canteens!

3. ORGANISE AN PLASTIC FREE PICK

Getting outside and seeing plastic litter first-hand.  Some fun initiatives include Plogging which combines jogging and picking up litter – you’d be amazed how much rubbish you can collect in half hour! Other amazing examples include #PlasticFreeCoastlines run by Surfers Against Sewage, Plastic Free July, run by Marine Conservation Society and the awesome Martin Dorey’s #2minutebeachclean concept and boards including the NEW #2minutestreetclean and #2minutelitterpick

4. NOT ALL PLASTIC OR BRANDS ARE BAD

A Plastic Planet  say ‘There will always be a need for plastic – medical science, aviation, technology, car industries – where plastic can more easily be reclaimed and kept within a closed recycling loop. Single use, especially for food and drink, is not defensible.’

The real issue is single use plastics – plastic cups, straws, coffee cups, plastic bottles, milk bottles, cutlery etc. Do we need such lazy products in our life and buy using and buying such products we are encouraging and support the use of this throwaway items which just end up in landfills. Lastly it is important we support brands which are making a difference – A Plastic Planet, Iceland, Morrison’s, Simply Cups, Coca-Cola, Costa, Harrogate Spring Water and all doing awesome things!

5. PROMOTE THE GOOD, NUDGE AND INSPIRE

Reduce, reuse, recycle- has been in our lives for decades. Completely eradicating all single-use plastics from your work/home overnight isn’t realistic. Think about where you can reuse it, and move on to recycling as much as humanly possible if all else fails.

More companies are moving towards plant-based ‘plastics’, but for this to be a success in the future, there needs to be more industrial composting sites, and more councils offering food waste collections.

As a business Helping Hand Environmental are do our bit, check out our #Factory2Hand tour where we are eliminating single use plastic from our waste, processing and manufacturing stream!

 

 

 

Helping Hand Environmental plans to survive Brexit deal or no deal

Lara Bryant, VP sales and marketing at Herefordshire-based litter clearance tools manufacturer Helping Hand Environmental, outlines how she plans to continue the company’s global expansion, despite Brexit 

Brexit has caused a lot of concern among British exporters whose key overseas trade is within the EU. With the outcome of negotiations, or lack of, still unknown, it is tricky for businesses to plan for the future to ensure a smooth transition.

However, as a British manufacturer and exporter, we have successfully grown our export business to Europe since the EU referendum in 2016. Despite the dual challenge of impending Brexit and competition from cheaper overseas manufacturers, our export revenue has increased by 750% in the last six years. We doubled our overseas sales from £450,000 to £986,000 between 2016 and 2017 alone and are now exporting to more than 20 countries worldwide, proving that with the right approach Brexit should not spell disaster.

This overseas revenue growth has resulted in our family-run company winning a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade this year, an accolade we’re incredibly proud of.

So, here are our tips on how businesses can grow a global client base, despite the tricky economic conditions and uncertain future – based on our own experience:

1) Talk to your customers

Talk of a no-deal Brexit, hard borders and new tariffs have all triggered understandable concern that UK companies will lose many European customers, with some claiming they are already suffering negative impacts. However, there are ways to overcome these issues.

The key thing is to put the customers’ needs at the centre of everything you do. We have worked really closely with all our European customers to ensure we are in a strong position to allay any problems thrown up by Brexit, such as transportation delays or materials shortages. We have robust contingency plans in place to deal with potential hiccups. For instance, we have built up good stocks of our raw materials, so that we can continue to manufacture in the event of a slow-down in supply for at least 90 days.

Even now, no-one knows what is going to happen, but we were proactive in going to our European customers to discuss their concerns and needs to try to pre-empt any issues. For instance, if we have concerns about supply lines shutting down, we can ship products early or even send out the components and put the products together onsite.

Comprehensive preparation has reassured our customers that we remain the supplier best placed to provide them with quality products when they need them, deal or no deal.

2) Don’t compromise on quality

It may be tempting when faced with much cheaper overseas rivals to cut costs wherever possible and compromise the quality of your products. We would warn against this. Customers will pay for quality. The reason the ‘Made in Britain’ tagline is a powerful one is that it is associated with top-quality products.

We have more than 50 years of technical expertise in producing litter clearance tools for local authorities, waste management companies and major brands keen to add litter clearance to their CSR [corporate social responsibility] activities. This has enabled us to refine and innovate to ensure our products are the best available in terms of design, function and durability. We cycle test our litter pickers to 500,000 repetitions.

All this requires investment, but the result is incomparable quality and ergonomics proven from one generation to the next. Our customers trust we will provide them with quality products to CE and ISO standards.

Due to higher overheads, material and staffing costs than south-east Asian rivals, there is no doubt there are far cheaper alternatives out there. Yet our customers across dozens of countries remain loyal because they are happy to pay for better quality. With a much longer lifespan than cheaper versions, our products ultimately offer better value. There is a lesson for everyone there.

3) Keep it green

As our company name, Helping Hand Environmental, suggests, we really care about the environment. As well as our mission to make the whole world litter free and divert as much rubbish as possible from landfill to recycling, we also constantly look for new ways to minimise our environmental impact. From manufacturing as much as possible using recyclable materials to recycled compostable packaging, we aim for zero waste. We also produce recycling kits alongside our products, which can extend their lifespans by 300%.

Our customers care about the carbon footprint of the products. They are working with us to boost their environmental credentials, so it would significantly undermine this if they were to source their tools from a company with a terrible environmental record.

Thankfully, there is also a wider trend towards consumers and companies holding their suppliers to account when it comes to responsible manufacturing and production. Across Europe, more consumers now demand strong environmental credentials when they buy, governments are legislating to reduce emissions and waste and this has a knock-on effect across all markets. Going greener pays in more ways than one.

4) Add value

We refer to ourselves as an anti-litter consultancy and there is a good reason for this. Having supplied the litter collection industry and worked with countless councils, charity projects and national and international campaigns we have a breadth of experience and network of contacts in this area that is unrivalled.

As well as supplying more than 90% of all local authorities in the UK, we are the official partners for environmental charities and campaigns in the UK and Europe from Keep Britain Tidy and Keep Scotland Beautiful to Nederland Schoon in Holland and Limburg.net in Belgium.

We worked with 346,012 litter pick volunteers in the first three months of this year alone, providing them not just with litter-pick tools, but also educational and promotional materials.

This has led to major global brands including McDonalds, Coca Cola and Costa approaching us in relation to their CSR and charity work. Due to our knowledge, experience and network of partners, we can act as a valued advisor on new environmental litter clearance projects and help link up community groups with local authorities, charities and businesses looking to fund such projects.

We are not solely focused on commercial gain, but we have a long-term view on developing sustainable relationships. Our business has grown in tricky conditions because we exceed our customers’ expectations – both at home and abroad – and other UK businesses must do the same.

Important Information About Our Annual Stock Take

Helping Hand Environmental Annual Stock Take will take place from Wednesday 26th June 2019 until Monday 1st July 2019.

Unfortunately, no orders can be invoiced or dispatched during this time.

Last day to order Tuesday 25th June before 12pm for standard stock items.

Place your orders now to avoid delays:

Telephone: 01531 635678
Email sales@helpinghand.co.uk

Or visit our WEBSHOP

Colwall Primary School given a Helping Hand to Recycle

SCHOOLCHILDREN across Herefordshire are leading the charge in fighting waste with a new recycling project.

Colwall Primary School is the latest recruit to sign upto the Herefordshire Community Recycling project which has seen schools across Herefordshire recycled over 56,000 crisp packets.

The brainchild of Herefordshire Community Clean Up group founder, Andrew Wood, the seeds for the project were sown last year, when Mr Wood began to investigate the options for recycling rubbish collected on community litter picks.

A subsidiary group – Herefordshire Community Recycling Raising Money for Local Charities – was set up and, before long, their mission expanded to include educating children on recycling and the value of waste.

Each school taking part across Herefordshire is sponsored by a local business including Helping Hand Environmental – the world’s largest manufacturer of litterpickers who have sponsored the latest round of bins to be installed at Colwall Primary School.

Mr Wood said “The fee the business paid is for four coloured recycling bins for the schools, who’s each schools Eco Committee, choose which items they wish to recycle. The scheme is driven by the children with the help of teachers and parents. And the sponsor and the school will build a relationship”.

Interest in the project has been so great that there is now 27 schools across Herefordshire currently signed up to the project and a new recycling schemes developed with NHS.

Lindsay Richmond-Kearns, Communities Manager for Helping Hand Environmental said “We are delighted to be supporting this innovative project and sponsoring Colwall Primary School with their first set of recycling bins. We hope to engage with our younger generation and help to minimize waste and increase recycling within Herefordshire”.

Nationally, PepsiCo have now collected 4m crisp packets nationwide, across 12.5k collection points in the UK.

For more information, visit the Herefordshire Community Recycling Raising Money for Local Charities Facebook page here.

 

FREE toolkit for your local #VolunteerHero

📢 Competition Time 📢

This week, to celebrate Volunteers’ Week, Helping Hand Environmental are giving away TWO volunteer tool kits!

To nominate your local litter hero, community group or eco-school click https://hhenvironmental.co.uk/contact-us enter the details of who you are nominating in the comments box and why and that’s it!

#InItToWinIt

Closing date June 10th.

Please note, the content of the Volunteer Tool Kit is highlighted in the image.

Two winners will be selected at random and announced on June 12th.

Who is your #VolunteerHero….

Cleaning up nicely: Litter experts The Helping Hand Company wins Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade

The Helping Hand Company’s mission to rid the world of litter has been rewarded with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for international trade after growing its export business by 750% in just six years.

The manufacturer of litter clearance tools, which supplies more than 90% of local authorities and waste contractors in the UK, now exports its litter collection hand tools and environmental educational support services to over 20 countries worldwide.

The Herefordshire-based business, which sells its professional waste collection tools through its HH Environmental division, has defied the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, more than doubling its overseas sales from £450k to £986k between 2016 and 2017 alone.

HH Environmental has built large customer bases in France, Holland, Denmark, Belgium and Ireland and is developing distribution channels in Australia, Germany and Spain.

The company works with local authorities, community groups and charities and commercial partners keen to boost their CSR activity, in the UK and beyond.

Labelling itself as a ‘litter consultancy’, HH Environmental provides and tools and promotional material needed for organisations to launch their own litter picks and ant-litter campaigns.

It works with dozens of campaigning bodies in the UK including Keep Britain Tidy, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy, and has taken a similar approach in Europe in the last five years, developing partnerships with clean up action organisations such as Nederland Schoon in Holland, Limburg.net and Mooimakers.be in Belgium.

HH Environmental has worked with 346,012 litter pick volunteers in the first three months of this year alone.

The company also designs and manufactures bespoke clean-up solutions for unique problems such as a Belgium waste management contractor that is looking for a way to segregate litter as it is collected along the highways to increase recycling rates.

Lara Bryant, VP sales and marketing at The Helping Hand Company, said: “Our mission is to get rid of all the world’s litter – which would mean we’d have no business, but it’s what we want.

“We support organisations and individuals in tackling litter scattered on pavements, carparks, greenspaces, beaches, rivers and motorways – we need to turn the tide.

“By recycling just 50% of all litter thrown on our streets today, we could save £14.8million pounds every year or £40,547 a day.

“We have seen a big increase in people getting actively involved in clean-ups and much greater awareness since that amazing Blue Planet series just over a year ago.

“It has had an astonishing impact.”

HH Environmental’s recent expansion has been supported by the recruitment of an environmental Export Sales Manager and administrator in February 2014, who together have driven the rapid growth of sales across the EU and beyond.

The company’s products are manufactured at its base in Ledbury, Herefordshire, using sustainable materials and packaging that can be recycled wherever possible. A massive 97% of all HH Environmental’s production waste is recycled.

All the litter pick tools have been carefully designed, tested and refined over many years to ensure efficiency and durability with recycle kits which can extend the product life cycle by 300%.

“We are not the lowest priced product, but we know our customers do not want a single use item” said Lara.

“Organisations choose us because they know they can rely on the quality of the products which are made in the UK using a sustainable and ethical manufacturing model and the added value we provide as a ‘litter consultancy’ advising on funding streams for litter picks and campaigns, educational material and charity partners. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk too”

HH Environmental has partnered with the Eco-Schools litter education scheme which has engaged 19.5 million children across 67 countries, making it the largest educational programme on the planet.

The company prides itself on successfully combining commercial enterprise with socially responsible action which facilitates environmental campaigns.

“We are an adaptable business that is not solely focused on the commercial gain of a product sale but more on a sustainable relationship with our customers. This approach makes us unique in our industry,” said Lara.

“We are committed to promoting environmental awareness today for our world tomorrow. Working alongside the Eco Schools programme and other local environmental education initiatives is a central focus for us – doing something as simple as a litter pick is a great way to engage children in learning about litter.”

The Queens Award is just the latest in a string of accolades for the HH Environmental branch of the business, including Green Apple Hero Award 2013 & 2014, CIWM Sustainability & Resources 2015, Guardian of Public Spaces 2016 and Business of the Year 2017.

Helping Hand Win Queen’s Award for Enterprise

The Helping Hand Company is absolutely thrilled to announce we have been awarded a Queens Award for Enterprise 2019 for International Trade.

In recognition of our outstanding continuous growth over the last 6 years in overseas trade of 750% in Litter clearance equipment, Environmental education and consultancy services.

A trusted partner to many Local Authorities and Waste Contractors in the UK, the company’s fast growing export sales have defied the uncertainly surrounding the Brexit vote.

Immensely proud of the team – together, we make a difference every day in helping protect our planet for future generations.

#QueensAward #International Trade #CommercialLitterEquiment #EnvironmentalEducation #VolunteerLitterPicking #BuyBritish #NotSingleUse #HerefordshireMeansBusiness #HelpingHand