DEVON, England, UK — Salcombe Gin usually produces a range of award-winning gins. However, in the last few weeks of Coronavirus lockdown, the Devon-based distillery has been busy making hand sanitizers and donating them to local keyworkers, including refuse collectors across the South Hams area.
While the vast majority of people are isolated in their households, key workers across the UK are on the frontline continuing to deliver for the nation. Along with countless professionals in the emergency services, health, social care and other vital sectors, the list of essential workers also includes waste management crews.
Waste and recycling crews are still out on our streets ensuring our quality of life remains as high as possible and doing their part to protect public health. Drivers and waste collectors are cleaning up the streets of Devon.
In doing so, they follow Government guidance on health and safety to protect the communities they work in as well as themselves. The advice includes diligent use of hand sanitizers – items that in critical short supply during the global health crisis.
Reduced economic activity has become a norm for most businesses in the food and beverage industry in the face of COVID-19. But Salcombe Gin has turned its experience and supplies to produce the sought-after hand sanitizers using its excess alcohol. Bin crews at FCC Environment, the UK’s leading waste and resource management company, are among the South Hams frontline essential workers who have welcomed the resulting donations.
Salcombe Gin’s Co-Founder and Director Howard Davies commented: “We are delighted to be helping key workers across South Devon and doing what we can to protect public health. Our initiatives show that anyone and any business can play their part to ease the challenges during this global health crisis. We are going through difficult times, socially and economically, and it is immensely important to show our support for the people on the frontline such as bin collection crews and we are all proud to be doing our bit.”
FCC Environment’s Area Manager, Mike Stass said: “We are extremely thankful to Salcombe Gin as well as the wider community across South Hams for their support at this challenging time. Sanitation is critical for everyone but especially for frontline staff. Thanks to Salcombe Gin, we now have more hand sanitizer for our bin crews to disinfect themselves and bin handles, further protecting our communities. We were also delighted to receive all the warm messages and drawings from residents and children - left on the bins or windowsills. We are very proud to continue to provide an essential service to the residents of South Hams throughout the pandemic.”
About FCC Environment
FCC Environment is one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies, providing a range of services, from collecting business and municipal waste to recycling and processing, and the generation of green energy from waste.
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