Hills Waste Solutions has continued its support for community football, as sponsors of the Sustainable Club Award at the Wiltshire FA – Grassroots Football Excellence Awards. The ceremony took place at the Village Hotel, Swindon on Friday 20 September, with Westbury Youth FC scooping the Sustainable Club of the Year Award, for their environmentally friendly youth football tournament.

Darren John, Sales Manager at Hills Waste Solutions collected the award on behalf of Cameron Dawes from Westbury Youth FC, commented: “We are delighted to support the Grassroots Football Excellence Awards for a second year. Our sponsorship of the Sustainable Club of the Year award recognises the clubs that are making steps to positively address climate change, whilst showing a commitment to changing behaviour and inspiring the local community to improve the environment.

“Westbury Youth FC are worthy winners this year, as they showed their commitment to the environment when organising their summer tournament. They contacted Hills to provide Darren John, Sales Manager and Laura Martin, Business Development Manager – both Hills Waste Solutions accept the Sustainable Club of the Year Award on behalf of Westbury Youth FC from Dave Ridley, Facility Manager for Wiltshire FA. sustainable waste management for the 166 teams, with a commitment to ensure that waste generated at the tournament was recycled and recovered where at all possible.”

Hills Waste Solutions’ support of sustainability in football extends to its partnership with the Wiltshire Football Association and their Good Game initiative. Good Game seeks to raise awareness about how the football community can help address climate change, whilst signposting clubs and their stakeholders to ideas they can adopt to be greener and more sustainable.

Simon Russell, CEO of Wiltshire FA commented: “I am delighted that Westbury Youth FC has been recognised for their efforts in making their summer tournament as green as possible. It is particularly heartening that recycling efforts are being adopted by the next generation of footballers in Wiltshire. I am also grateful to Hills Waste Solutions for sponsoring the Sustainable Club award and for their ongoing support of our Good Game initiative.”

If any club in Wiltshire wants to find out more about waste management for their club or their
tournaments and events, they can contact Hills Waste Solutions at www.hills-waste.co.uk

We are delighted to announce there has been some further palaeontological activity at one of our quarries near Swindon over the past few weeks, where mammoth fossils continue to be excavated.

This next phase of activity called Mammoth 2.0 has seen further exploration of the site, where in 2019 and 2021 a 200,000-year-old mammoth graveyard was found.

The recent activity has been carried out by our partner Neo Jurassica who are leading experts in this field. They are also working in conjunction with Archaeological Research Services, leading universities, museums and experts to continue this invaluable work on the next chapter of discovery.

The new palaeolithic finds at the site include the remains of steppe mammoth tusks, a pygmy mammoth tooth, several bison vertebrae, a rib and jawbone, wild horse ribs and a partially complete tooth from a cave or brown bear.

James Hogg, Director of Neo Jurassica said: “It was a true pleasure to meet Mike Hill and the team at Hills. If it wasn’t for their support and shared vision of the scientific importance of this site, this multidisciplinary systematic excavation would not have been possible.”

All this fantastic and important material is being conserved at the Yorkshire Natural History Museum in Sheffield, which will be accessible to researchers across the UK. The scope for this second phase of the investigation is vast. By amassing a large collection of mammoth bones, much can be learned about thesize and social structure of their herds and how this compares to modern elephants.

It is hugely important for Hills to be involved in work like this. Quarrying is fundamental in recreating biodiverse habitats, wet woodlands and enhancing nature. Whilst this is not always seen, it highlights the scientific importance of this site and how cooperation can benefit both the quarrying and scientific industries.

Peter Andrew, Group Director, Hills Quarry Products said: “It’s a fantastic site and it just keeps on giving. We are looking forward to next year when we will welcome more teams of experts to carry out the next part of the excavation.”

As the area is not accessible and is normally underwater, the excavation involved dewatering the area using water pumps. Upon completion of the current investigation, the area was restored as a temporary lake.

There has been recent press speculation relating to the company’s decision to end its working relationship with DigVentures at our Cerney Wick quarry near Swindon.

This has led to several unsubstantiated and incorrect claims regarding the next phase of archaeological activity at the site relating to the mammoth finds in 2017 that are unhelpful to the future of the project.

As a family-owned business we are extremely proud of our long association of supporting archaeological investigations and academic research linked to discoveries at our sites. This is something to which Hills Quarry Products remain committed and we will continue working with the country’s leading professional and academic research organisations to help better understand and secure items of archaeological and palaeontological interest including the Cerney Mammoths for the nation.

Trucks from Hills Waste Solutions will be unmissable on the streets of Bristol and Bath, thanks to eye‐catching new graphics celebrating the move from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) – a change which will reduce fuel‐related Carbon (CO2) emissions by up to 90%. The striking new design features some iconic landmarks from the local area including: the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the colourful terraces of Cliftonwood and the arches of Pulteney Bridge in Bath.

Nathan Carr, Hills Waste Solutions ‐ Divisional Fleet Manager commented: “The livery for our new trucks looks great and will help reinforce our commitment to not only managing waste sustainably but also powering our operations in a more environmentally friendly way. That’s why we have chosen to go the extra mile and fuel our Bristol and Bath fleet with HVO, as it can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%.”

Neil Luce, Operations Manager at Hills Waste Solutions added: “Our customers in and around Bristol and Bath will be able to demonstrate improvements in their own supply chain sustainability goals, by using a supplier who is cutting emissions when removing waste from their premises.”

The Hills Quarry Products site north of Swindon, which inspired the BBC1 documentary ‘Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard’ is once again yielding palaeontological wonders.

The dig led by passionate amateur palaeontologists, Sally and Dr Neville Hollingworth,began on Monday the 15th of July and the list of amazing discoveries over the first few days has included: a Neanderthal Hand Axe, Mammoth Tooth, Rib, Pelvic bone and Skull fragments – plus a Nautilus and even a Shark tooth. Over 100 student volunteers from 18 Universities and experts from the wider Palaeontological world will be assisting with the dig until it closes on August the 5th.

Project lead Sally Hollingworth commented: “We are so excited to be back on the site which has previously yielded remains of at least five Ice Age Mammoths and a number of stone tools made by Neanderthals. From day one of this dig we’ve already made some amazing discoveries. Who knows what we might find for the rest of the dig!”

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and hard work the small army of unpaid volunteers has shown, plus the exceptional support from Hills Quarry Products, who have facilitated and supported this and the two previous digs. The site is not open to members of the public – but look out for updates on the dig via social media using our hashtag
#TuskForce.”

The artefacts and mammoth remains found at the Hills Quarry Products’ quarry date to around 210,000 – 220,000 years ago, towards the end of a warmer interglacial period when Britain was still occupied by Neanderthals. Towards the end of this period, early humans abandoned Britain as temperatures plummeted and the landmass was plunged back under ice.

It’s not yet clear whether the mammoths were killed by Neanderthals, or why so many were found in one place, but archaeological sites from this period are incredibly rare, as is evidence of how Neanderthals interacted with mammoths, making this discovery one that has enormous value for understanding Neanderthal behaviour, not just in Britain but across Europe.

Hills Waste Solutions is continuing its support for community projects in Westbury as sponsors of the Westbury Youth Football Club tournament, which takes place from Friday 21 June to Sunday 23 June. Hills is providing skips and bins for recycling and waste management, to ensure that the three-day event is as sustainable and green as the grass the young footballers will be playing on.

Neil Pollard, Divisional Director at Hills Waste Solutions said: “We are looking forward to supporting the Westbury Youth FC tournament. It will be a busy weekend for the club with 1300 young footballers expected to attend – so we hope to alleviate some of the stress involved in managing event waste and recycling, allowing club officials, volunteers, coaches, supporters and players to all focus on and enjoy the games.”

Hills is further supporting sustainability in football through its partnership with the Wiltshire Football Association and their Good Game initiative. Good Game seeks to raise awareness about how the football community can help address climate change, whilst signposting clubs and their stakeholders to ideas they can adopt to be greener and more sustainable.

Hills Waste Solutions is going the extra mile for a sustainable future, as its Bristol fleet of HGVs has changed fuel from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) – a move which will reduce fuel-related Carbon (CO2) emissions by up to 90%.

Nathan Carr, Hills Waste Solutions’ Divisional Fleet Manager commented:

“All Hills’ frontline HGVs operating out of the Bristol Depot are already ULEZ compliant, as they meet the latest Euro 6
regulations for emissions. We are committed to not only managing waste sustainably but also powering our operations in a more environmentally friendly way. That’s why we have chosen to go the extra mile and fuel our fleet with HVO, as it can reduce
CO2 emissions by up to 90%.”

“Changing to HVO is another example of our commitment to operating sustainably, which already includes route planning to minimise mileage and driver training to ensure that vehicles are driven in a careful manner to help optimise fuel efficiency.”

Neil Luce, Operations Manager at Hills Waste Solutions added:

“This move isn’t just about Hills Waste Solutions; it’s about supporting businesses serviced by our Bristol depot that share our commitment to sustainability. By utilising Certas Energy HVO-powered waste collection vehicles, we’re enabling businesses to reduce their end-to-end environmental impact, not just within their own operations but as part of their sustainability commitments applied to their supply chain.”

The HVO is supplied by Certas Energy, the largest distributors of fuel and lubricants in the UK, who are members of the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS). Membership of RFAS means that Certas Energy undergo continuous compliance monitoring, including an annual audit which ensures that HVO is derived from 100% renewable raw materials and sustainable waste, and that GHG emissions intensity claims are verified accordingly.

Craig Dando, Senior Business Development Manager at Certas Energy adds:

“We are thrilled to be supplying our premium HVO fuel to Hills Waste Solutions. This project is a great example of our shared vision for a sustainable future and together, we are proud to be making strides towards a responsible energy mix.”