The latest news from Countrystyle Recycling Edition 50 Source

NEW COUNTRYSTYLE IN IN THE THE COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT CONTRACT WINS Schools Initiative A Day in the Life of with KCCC a Dustcart Driver

We teamed up with We sent our new HR Countrystyle secures major Club and Assistant out to experience contract wins in Kent... visited Iwade school... Countrystyle from the 'coal face'. Alice reports…

CONTINUED ON PG 4. CONTINUED ON PG 8. CONTINUED ON PG 12.

1 CONTENTS

4 6 8 10

11 12 14

3. From the Editor 10. Expansion to Gypsum Capability

4. New Contract Wins 11. New Workshop - Ridham

6. Keeping Our Staff Healthy 12. A Day in the Life of a Dustcart Driver

7. New Software Roll Out 14. Our People

8. Community 15. Join Our Team

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2 From the Editor Introduction to Countrystyle

Welcome to Countrystyle’s new look Source Magazine, giving you an insight into the world of Countrystyle Recycling.

Not only do we have a new look but also new feature articles too, including Guest Features, In the Spotlight, Countrystyle in the Community and an update on our new growth and development plans.

Who are we …

Countrystyle Recycling is a leading Kent based privately owned waste management and recycling company capable of handling, processing, disposing and recycling almost all forms of waste.

Our flagship facility, at Ridham in Sittingbourne, Kent, provides specialist services for the recycling of plasterboard, wood, organic waste and the manufacture of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) collectively ensuring 100% diversion from landfill. Our other facilities at Strood, Lenham and Folkestone enable us to offer recycling services for other waste streams including paper & cardboard, construction & demolition waste, hazardous and WEEE waste.

Kent is at the heart of who we are and what we do, that’s why our work in the community is so important, see page 8 for an update on our latest projects.

For more information please see www.countrystylerecycling.co.uk

3 NEW CONTRACT WINS

Countrystyle Secures Major Kent Trade Waste Contracts We are very proud to announce 2 new major contract wins. This is credit to the hard work and determination of all our employees who have made Countrystyle the company it is today which has enabled us to develop a tailored proposition for each of our clients and to be recognised as a major regional waste management company. Christ Church University

Countrystyle has recently been awarded a 3 There are over 22 bin locations at University Year Contract worth circa £1 million for Waste buildings spread throughout the city of Canterbury Management Services at Canterbury Christ and at Medway and Broadstairs. The Contract Church University. This is a significant trade covers an array of locations including halls of waste contract requiring the following annual residence, Student Union bars and cafés, offices, collections: libraries and sporting venues.

• 14,000 General Waste lifts Countrystyle’s Sales Director, Jamie Houston, said • 13,000 Dry Mixed Recycling lifts “We are delighted to have secured this contract • 850 Food lifts against tough competition from other national • 950 Glass lifts waste companies. Canterbury Christ Church • 175 Confidential Waste collections University is undergoing further expansion and it’s exciting for such a forward thinking company like Countrystyle to be associated with such a successful educational institution in Kent”.

4 Medway Norse

Countrystyle are delighted to announce that Previously this work was shared by 4 contractors. Medway Norse have appointed us as their sole Our trade waste team are now tasked with waste management provider for their non- planning and delivering 7,900 general waste lifts hazardous and recyclable materials as part of a 5 per annum as well as 2,000 dry mixed recycling year contract. lifts. There will also be an ad-hoc requirement for roll-on roll-off collections throughout the duration Worth just over £0.8m over the term of the of the contract. contract, it covers municipal buildings as well as country parks, leisure centres, libraries and theatres.

5 GUEST FEATURE: ALL HEALTH MATTERS

Our Occupational Health Provider, All Health Matters, tells us a bit more about occupational health and why they’re working with us…

Keeping our Staff Healthy

What is Occupational Health? Who can access OH & what services are available? Occupational Health (OH) is concerned with the health of employees in the workplace. The service Many roles at Countrystyle require employees to provided by All Health Matters comprises doctors, undertake regular ‘health surveillance’ medicals nurses and technicians, all specially trained in the to make sure work does not adversely affect their field of workplace health. It is a legal requirement health, and that their ability to work is affected for every company to have some form of OH as little as possible by any health condition. although, generally speaking, the more hazardous Depending on the role, there may be a requirement the job, the more involved the OH service is likely to have a medical as often as once a year. to be. All Health Matters are retained by Countrystyle Why do we need OH? on a 3 year contract and to date working closely with the Company, have delivered 100% base line Every employer has a responsibility to look after medicals for all operational staff and offered health their employees. The organisation in which a assessments to all office staff. In addition, we have person works is required by law to ensure their devised a pre-employment health assessment to health is not being adversely affected by their job. dove-tail into Countrystyle’s recruitment policy By keeping track of our employees health on a to give them reassurance about their recruitment regular basis, Countrystyle working with All Health decisions across key roles such as drivers and Matters’ OH service can spot any deterioration mobile plant operators. in our staff’s wellbeing quickly and put a stop to whatever is causing it.

6 AMCS: Driving efficiency through technology

Countrystyle are excited to reveal it will be This is why Countrystyle has looked to the latest installing a new in-line business technology across available technology to improve efficiency and its operations. We are delighted to announce data collection. We have appointed industry that AMCS have been appointed as our software leaders AMCS who offer an end-to-end software provider to help us advance further within this suite to manage all the critical operational and field. business management processes. The tool allows us to track our fleet remotely without the need In the past, as with many companies, Countrystyle for phone calls enabling us to monitor progress has been predominantly paper-based. This in real-time, with minimal disruption, and to add had resulted in an ever growing amount of additional bin lifts to the on-board route planner administrative duties for both our drivers and as required. By using this software, our drivers and our office staff to ensure the smooth operation of office staff will now be able to manage the end- our waste management services. Although not an to-end waste management process digitally and exhaustive list, this may include: ultimately more efficiently.

• Driver job sheets including lift locations and number of bins • Weighbridge slips • Reporting of site access issues • Booking in emergency bin lift requests • Reporting on fleet progress and any challenges experienced

7 COUNTRYSTYLE IN THE COMMUNITY

Colour Run

The KM Colour Run is a fundraising event to support the educational services delivered by the KM Charity Team. Countrystyle Recycling’s corporate sponsorship, together with the sponsorship raised by participants, is put towards the educational work of the KM Charity Team across the county’s schools. At this year’s event held at Betteshanger Park, near Deal, we took over a colour station and brightened up the competitors’ day… and bodies!

Schools Initiative

Recently we teamed up with James Moss and Adam Hodder from and visited Iwade School to teach the pupils about the 4R’s (Respect, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). We started with a presentation about the importance of protecting the environment through responsible waste disposal before splitting into teams to come up with scenarios around the Spitfire ground where waste is produced and has been dealt with. The class then headed out into the playing fields for some coaching from the Kent Cricket Community members on batting, bowling and fielding techniques.

8 Walk to School & Walderslade Primary

We attended a very special assembly at Walderslade Primary School to present the “Green Class of the Week” with ice skating vouchers for the whole class as a result of their superb efforts to turn to green travel to get to school.

This is one example of our involvement as part of our commitment to the Walk to School scheme across Kent following its 2016/17 launch at Leeds Castle earlier this summer. The programme has already achieved an impressive feat by reducing the number of journeys on Kent’s roads by around 250,000 which has not only improved road safety, but also the health and well-being of those who have taken part.

Kent Cricket – Schools Day Out

As Kent County Cricket Club’s lead Community Sponsor, Countrystyle was at the heart of the recent KCCC Schools Big Cricket Day Out held at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. Players of the Kent Cricket team put the students through their paces with various cricket drills before setting them down with an ice cream to watch the Kent vs Somerset T20 in the Kentish sunshine (which eventually did arrive!).

NEXT ISSUE Maplesden Noakes Business Challenge

Next edition we will be telling you how two teams of Year 12s took on our business challenge…

9 As part of our close working relationship with Major world leading drylining manufacturer, Knauf, we have secured planning permission for the Expansion construction of a 50,000 sq ft building, which will house a brand new 120,000 tonne per annum Planned waste plasterboard recycling facility. We will supply recycled gypsum powder to the adjacent Knauf plasterboard factory on an exclusive basis, to Gypsum as we have been doing through our existing circa 40,000 tonne per annum recycling plant at Ridham Recycling since 2010.

Capability Having secured planning in April 2016, we have been busy working up detailed designs with a view to commencing construction in late Autumn 2016. Further updates on the progress of this major project for Countrystyle will be provided via our website, which will include timelapse imaging.

10 New Workshop at Ridham Equipment, Vehicle and Plant repair

Earlier this year Countrystyle’s vehicle workshop was moved from Lenham to a refurbished facility at Ridham Sea Terminals, where we already have our wood recycling operations. This enabled a huge transformation of our workshop from a dark and restricted space to a spacious, safer and cleaner working environment. This has allowed us to be better placed and equipped to deal with the planned preventative maintenance of our fleet of over 120 vehicles by utilising newer technologies including hydraulic vehicle hoists and lifting equipment, rolling roads and brake testing equipment together with an integrated new workshop store.

Safety has remained paramount and new risk assessments were undertaken by our external health & safety advisors, The Bradley Group, for all activities and new safe working procedures implemented with everyone inducted in those procedures prior to moving in. Dedicated extraction system

11 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A Day in the Life of a Dustcart Driver

4:00am 4:30am 8:00am 3:00pm In the Truck Singing Starts Half Way Round Finished

We sent our new HR Having had no experience of the waste industry from outside my Assistant out to experience cosy HR office I was apprehensive of what a day on the dustcarts Countrystyle from the ‘coal had to bring. With stereotypical preconceptions of what a bin man face’. Alice reports…. was like, I had envisaged spending my day with a dirty and to be frank, smelly bin man, in a rubbish filled dustcart, with me silently praying the hours went quickly. This, I am happy to say, was not the case.

12 I learnt that my driver John is a family man, with That day I gained a huge amount of respect for a wife and 2 kids that are his absolute pride in life the men like John that do the job that many of us and like the rest of us, he just wants to do his best wouldn’t even consider. to provide for his family. If you are stuck behind a dustcart, be patient, don’t Despite the early start, John was upbeat and tut and beep your horn, because there is a person already singing his heart out to his Friday dustcart doing their job, just like you and me, who just round playlist. With a passion for driving and a wants to do a thorough job safely before getting determination to do the job well, John does his back to the yard after a long shift to pick up his two absolute best to get as much of the work done kids from school. whilst the streets are empty and no one is around whilst at all times conscious of not disturbing those precious last few hours of sleep for people nearby. However, as the sun comes up and people start emerging from their houses, the daily commute begins. At that point John has already completed half of his work day before they have even rolled out of bed.

“ I gained a huge amount of respect for the men like John that do the job that many of us wouldn’t even consider.

13 OUR PEOPLE

John Hassell FROM DRIVER TO SALES CONSULTANT

John joined Countrystyle in The attention to detail that Representative for Countrystyle 2011 as a dustcart driver and John displayed in relation and to have been given this spent much of his 5 years to existing customers on great opportunity to be part of operating in the North West his route and in identifying the growth of an exciting, fast Kent and South East London new opportunities, drew the moving business, that I have areas. attention of the Company’s seen operate at the shop floor”. Sales Team. After 5 years at the During this time John made it wheel of a Mercedes Truck, his personal mission to engage John has downsized to a smaller with his customers where BMW and is now touring his old possible, fully subscribing to patch targeting those potential Countrystyle’s view that its customers he had already drivers are some of its best identified. ambassadors for promoting its business. John said “I am delighted with my new role as a Sales

14 JOIN OUR TEAM

These are exciting times for Countrystyle. We are a fast growing and successful company that continues ? to heavily invest in our infrastructure and future.

We employ over 300 people from receptionists to business development managers, drivers to fleet planners and much more. We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic and passionate individuals to join our team.

View our latest vacancies at: www.countrystylerecycling.co.uk/jobs It could be you!

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15 OUR SISTER COMPANIES

FGS Organics develop specialist recycling FGS Agri Ltd is a leading Kent based solutions for the agricultural sector including agricultural contracting business, offering an the use of gypsum powder and paper array of agricultural services throughout the crumble. FGS pride themselves in the quality South East. of service and information that they provide to all their customers, from supplying artificial For more information visit fertilisers through to alternative livestock www.fgsagri.co.uk or call 01233 820055. bedding. Product development is one of FGS’s strengths, whether it is developing alternative markets for products or creating bespoke application methods to ensure the best application technologies are used. Water Direct specialises in the provision of For more information visit quality assured drinking water, for wherever www.fgsorganics.co.uk or call 01233 820055. and whenever a piped water supply is either unavailable, unusable or inadequate. In addition to being the preferred water supplier to many of the UK’s water utility companies, Water Direct has also become the country’s leading provider of bulk and temporary water FGS Plant now offer a ompletec refurbishment supply systems to many construction service for all agricultural and construction companies and festival organisers. plant and associated equipment including the following: For more information visit www.water-direct.co.uk or call 0345 345 1725. • Full Strip & Re-Build • Total Fabrication inc Welding • Adaption and Modification • Shot Blasting • Paint Spraying Envar Composting Ltd specialises in organic For more information visit waste treatment and market/product www.fgsplant.co.uk or call 01622 713930. development. Based in Cambridgeshire.

For more information visit www.envar.co.uk or call 01487 849840.

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