As the ability to gather in groups on 11 November and the sale of Remembrance poppies has been significantly affected due to the current national restrictions, all Hills kerbside collection vehicles will be displaying a poster in support of this year’s poppy appeal and The Royal British Legion.

Mike Hill, chief executive at Hills said, “We usually have collection boxes and poppies at our offices and sites where employees and visitors can make donations, but this year we have not been able to do so. Our crews wanted to show their support for this worthy and important cause, and will be displaying the posters to raise awareness.”

In addition to its annual donation to The Royal British Legion, Hills has also given its employees the opportunity to increase the value of the donation by responding to an internal survey. Where operationally possible, all employees will be observing the 2 minute silence at 11.00 on 11 November.

As we enter a new period of national restrictions Hills’ priority remains to keep our employees, customers and the community in which we work safe. All our sites remain open and our operations will continue to trade in accordance with new Government guidance.

I would like to thank all our employees for adapting and following new ways of working that ensures the company as a whole is able to work and operate safely during this time and continue to deliver essential waste services, construction material and family homes to our customers and the wider public.

Hills operations have responded well to the challenges presented by the pandemic so far, and for that reason I am confident that we will continue to do so.

We must all follow the Government’s message on ‘hands, face, space’, and the importance of getting tested if experiencing the symptoms of Coronavirus. These measures, along with adhering to self-isolation requirements and social distancing laws will increase the likelihood of the national restrictions being lifted in early December as predicted.

Each Group Director, in consultation with the Group board, will consider their individual operations’ requirements for the coming weeks and implement changes to comply with Government guidelines to ensure a safe work place and to protect employees who are vulnerable to the risk of coronavirus Updates can be found on the relevant websites at:

•  www.hills-waste.co.uk
• www.hills-quarry.co.uk
• www.hills-homes.co.uk

Our Group board continues to meet regularly to ensure our business continuity plans remain adaptable to the latest changes being experienced whilst being mindful of long term resilience and potential future situations.

Hills Quarry Products is pleased to announce it is taking over the operation of an existing concrete plant in Gloucester. The plant was recently purchased from Chelmix Concrete Ltd.

Peter Andrew, Group director said: “Our new site at Gloucester will greatly expand the geographical area which Hills Quarry Products operates and also enhance the level of service we can provide to our customers with a mini-mix service now available from all our concrete plants.”

The site is being registered with the Quality Scheme for Ready-Mixed Concrete (QSRMC) and is providing high-quality concrete and screed, available for collection or delivery using 4m³, 6m³ and 8m³ sized vehicles

We look forward to supplying new and existing customers from the site

Neil Pollard has joined Hills Waste Solutions as divisional director for commercial operations. Reporting directly to Ed Dodd, Group director, Neil will lead in the profitable operation of Hills’ commercial waste collection operations and sales teams.

He will play a key role in Hills’ growth plans for collections and is part of Waste Solutions’ senior management team assisting in the management of the wider business, developing and implementing the associated strategy. Hills Waste Solutions offers a range of specialist waste management and recycling services to both the public and private sector. It is a dynamic regional business which, while centred on Wiltshire, has stretched its boundaries into neighbouring areas to become one of the region’s largest providers of waste solutions.

Neil holds a degree in Economics from Swansea University and has over 19 years’ experience in business development, operations and project management from his previous roles in the commercial and industrial waste management industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly changing our daily lives and causing significant disruption. This looks set to continue for some time, but this disruption is absolutely necessary if, together, we are to limit the spread and impact of this disease.

We wanted to take the opportunity to reassure everyone that, whatever else might happen, we’re working hard to ensure that your bins are still collected in the coming weeks and months. But, we need your help to do this.

There are around twenty-seven million households in the United Kingdom and, collectively, they produce the equivalent of a tonne of rubbish each, every year. Collecting, sorting, and processing the waste from this many households is a huge daily challenge and requires a workforce of more than 107,000 people, who have been identified by Government as key workers, providing support during this crisis.

For the time being, many household recycling and waste collections are operating normally and everyone should continue to reduce, re-use and recycle as much of their waste as possible. Your local council is ultimately responsible for recycling and waste services, so please follow all of the guidance they provide so that we can keep these vital services moving efficiently.

Following Government advice, to protect workers and combat the spread of infection, anyone who feels ill at home (whether diagnosed with COVID-19 or not) should place all their waste in the general rubbish bin, and should doublebag it, making sure the bags are securely tied. They should then wait at least 72 hours before placing it out for collection. For now, this material should not be put in your recycling.

Like other critical industries, staff shortages may interfere with recycling and waste services, so we are doing all we can to mitigate this risk. To ensure we can continue to collect general rubbish, which must be prioritised for hygiene reasons, it might be necessary to temporarily change or suspend some non-essential collection services like garden and bulky waste. Any disruption to recycling services will be a last resort and, if this is unavoidable, we must not allow it to break our national recycling habit in the long term.

Some Household Waste Recycling Centres will be temporarily closed to the general public and, unless essential, people should not be leaving their homes to visit these sites. It is possible that some street cleaning and litter removal services may also need to be temporarily suspended to prioritise household collections.

We are grateful for your support at this time of unprecedented challenge and urge you to stay safe, protect yourself and protect others.

Thank you.

Waste management and recycling specialist, Hills Waste Solutions, has added four new refuse collection vehicles (RCV) to its 60 strong commercial fleet.

Ed Dodd, group director for Hills Waste Solutions, said: “Hills has an ongoing commitment to upgrade all our commercial collection vehicles to the more fuel efficient, economical and lower emission Euro 6 specification. The acquisition of these new vehicles is a significant investment for us and we are pleased to have achieved this target with 46 of the RCVs in our fleet so far.”

Nathan Carr, fleet manager for Hills Waste Solutions, said: “Our customers expect reliability when it comes to their waste management and recycling collections, so investing in an upgraded fleet of vehicles is important for us.”

All Hills vehicles have tablets in the cab that utilise the PURGO system to manage collection rounds. This has been a great step forward in how Hills manages its service as customers receive waste transfer notes, invoices and all other notifications electronically which saves time and the reduction in paper is better for the environment.

The new vehicles have a bespoke specification comprising a Dennis Olympus body, Beta trade lift and 26 tonne Mercedes Econic chassis on a 6×2 rear steer chassis which adds manoeuvrability and allows the vehicle access to sites that a normal 26 tonne RCV would struggle with.

From the driver’s perspective, the low seating position gives a great view of the road and pavements which is essential when moving around busy towns and roads. It also allows the driver to have direct eye contact with cyclists and pedestrians at junctions or in traffic queues.

The lower entry, walk-through air conditioned cab gives the crew easy access and allows them to enter and exit the cab onto the traffic-free side of the road.

“The trucks are fitted with additional LEDs, a Brigade 4-way recordable camera system and an audible left turn trigger alarm. Two additional low level lights have been fitted at a 45 degree angle from the rear of the cab to improve the operating environment for the driver and loader in low light environments and to aid reversing.”

The four vehicles will operate out of Hills’ two transport depots at Purton near Swindon and Lower Compton near Calne – servicing both commercial and industrial customers’ waste management requirements across the region.

Hills Homes’ latest development, Hillside, in the village of Blunsdon, has won the ‘Best New Large Housing Development’ award from Swindon Borough Council’s Building Control team.

The variety of house elevations, the layout of the houses, the technical design and quality of the built homes were all recognised as winning factors at the awards ceremony which took place on Wednesday 19 February.

The Building Control team awards local building companies each year for developments which have successfully met assessment criteria. The following aspects of a development are taken into account:

The quality of the design, drawing and information on application and timely provision of additional information to clear conditions through to full approval

•  Site layout and dwelling design and accessibility
• The site management and interactions with the Building Control Surveyors, notification of inspection requests, quality of works on site and compliance
• Site health and safety and housekeeping
• The overall finish and quality of the construction both internally and externally, and overall site appearance on completion.

Nick King, Group director Hills Homes says: “We are very proud to have won the ‘Best New Large Housing Development’ award from Swindon Borough Council. It recognises the dedication of our very knowledgeable team in planning and building excellent homes. Hillside has been a very popular development as buyers have been attracted to the high quality of the build and finishes. We have a longstanding, collaborative relationship with the Swindon Borough Council’s building control team and build homes which we are proud of.”

Hillside is a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and features a children’s play area together with green spaces and allotments. Building commenced in 2017 and was completed last year, with the final occupant moving in just a few weeks ago.

Hills Homes will start to build its next development of 54 homes at The Paddocks in Broad Blunsdon this year.

Hills Homes’ latest development, Hillside, in the village of Blunsdon, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Best New Large Housing Development award by Swindon Borough Council’s Building Control team.

Swindon Borough Council’s Building Control team awards local building companies each year for developments which have successfully met assessment criteria. The following aspects of a development are taken into account:
The quality of the design, drawing and information on application and timely provision of additional information to clear conditions through to full approval

• Site layout and dwelling design and accessibility
• The site management and interactions with the Building Control Surveyors, notification of inspection requests, quality of works on site and compliance
• Site health and safety and housekeeping
• The overall finish and quality of the construction both internally and externally, and overall site appearance on completion.

Hillside is a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and features a children’s play area together with green spaces and allotments. Building commenced in 2017 and was completed last year, with the final occupant moving in just a couple of weeks ago.

Nick King, Group director Hills Homes says: “We are proud to have our Hillside development recognised for an award by Swindon Borough Council. Hillside has been a very popular development as buyers have been attracted to the high quality of the build and finishes.. We have a longstanding, collaborative relationship with the Council’s building control team and build homes which we are proud of.”

The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 19 February.

Hills Homes will start to build its next development of 54 homes at The Paddocks in Broad Blunsdon this year.