Greener cleaning for Camden's estates

Cleaning on Camden’s estates is set to become greener, thanks to an enterprising Camden Council employee. Dilip Shah, an estate services manager, had the idea to create a new chemical-free cleaner to use on external areas of estates. The cleaner is already being used in King’s Cross, and is set to be rolled out to Holborn then to estates borough-wide.

Shah came up with the idea for the cleaner as he was concerned that chemicals used to clean estates were heavily polluting. After finding there were no natural alternatives on the market, he contacted Merlin Chemicals, which manufactures the council’s estate cleaning products. Merlin set to work on creating the new green product.

The new cleaner has been a great success, with caretakers reporting it cleans well, has a pleasant smell and dries quickly, reducing the risk of people slipping on wet floors. It has also dramatically reduced waste. The previous cleaner came in small packages which had to be thrown away. The green cleaner comes in 25 litre containers, which can be used to fill smaller reusable bottles. The large containers are then taken away and refilled.

Dilip Shah said: “It’s been an interesting and enjoyable process to have got this far. I’m glad I’ve been able to do something which helps to protect the environment. It’s been great because all the caretaking staff and supervisors have been really supportive and enthusiastic and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

Cllr James King, executive member for housing services, Camden Council, said: “I am delighted Dilip has come up with this innovative idea, which reduces the environmental impact of cleaning our estates. We are constantly looking at new ways to improve sustainability on estates, such as increasing recycling and introducing emissions based parking, so the introduction of this new cleaner is fantastic news.”