This October, Lanes staff members up and down the country had their chance to do their bit for a truly groundbreaking national campaign to save our sewers and seas - and our committed colleagues were as willing as ever to roll up their sleeves and pitch in!

The month-long Unblocktober campaign was devised by Lanes Group as the world’s first public awareness month designed to spur the public into reducing the amount of blockage-causing substances and materials being put down the nation’s drains. It quickly proved to be a very popular cause, with businesses, environmental organisations and consumers all pledging their support.

It’s fair to say that the success of Unblocktober exceeded our expectations - and the efforts of our staff played no small part in helping to spread the word.

What is Unblocktober?

Unblocktober challenged individuals and businesses from across the UK to avoid putting fats, oils and grease (FOG), food scraps, plastic waste, wet wipes and a range of other banned items down their drains for 31 consecutive days in October.

The aim was to get people thinking about the contribution of everyday waste disposal habits to river and waterway pollution, drain blockages and fatbergs, while spurring action by sharing tips and helpful advice. Sure enough, the Unblocktober challenge was eventually taken up by more than 4,500 participants, including eager homeowners and companies keen to show their commitment to green causes.

What’s more, the campaign earned the backing of the UK’s leading utilities companies, as well as organisations such as Defra, Keep Britain Tidy, the Marine Conservation Society, Surfers Against Sewage and many more. This helped to turn Unblocktober into headline news, with TV appearances on BBC Look North, ITV Meridian and BBC Newsround!

A team effort from Lanes workers

As with everything we do at Lanes, the success of Unblocktober wouldn’t have been possible without the enthusiastic support of the Lanes workforce. From our engineers on the frontline all the way through to our supportive office-based staff, the whole Lanes team got behind the campaign in a big way, proving to be the best possible ambassadors for the Unblocktober spirit.

As well as upholding their own Unblocktober pledges, Lanes workers helped to promote the campaign by taking to the roads in vehicles bearing distinctive Unblocktober badges, while making themselves available to provide vital information on the reasons why the effort to save our sewers and seas is so important:

https://www.facebook.com/Unblocktober/photos/a.324993915078580/402119120699392/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/Unblocktober/photos/a.324993915078580/386003338977637/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/Unblocktober/photos/a.324993915078580/395601678017803/?type=3&theater

Agreeing to be the visible faces of Unblocktober for a month was not without its perks for the Lanes crew, as area business development manager, Anthony Gray, managed to score an appearance on BBC Look North as part of their segment on Unblocktober! Take a look below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IShnR_0_PYY&feature=emb_logo

When asked how they felt about the campaign, Lanes staff shared a fairly clear view that they believe Unblocktober has the potential to be a force for good. Paul Dunn, an excavation engineer at Lanes Group, said: "I'm hoping Unblocktober will raise awareness about the damage people are causing. If people make simple changes to what they do, they can help prevent it.”

An exciting beginning for Unblocktober

The end of October 2019 marked the conclusion of the main Unblocktober challenge month - but the story of Unblocktober as a public awareness movement is only just beginning!

The massive success of the initiative means that plans are already afoot to bring the event back in 2020, while keeping the Unblocktober spirit alive throughout the year. The evidence already suggests that the inaugural 2019 challenge has made a big impact, with 78% of participants taking part in a post-Unblocktober survey saying they were very optimistic that they’d be able to maintain their new habits all year round.

This means Lanes staff will get plenty more chances to play their role in this exciting nationwide campaign for a long time to come. By doing so, they’ll continue to have the satisfaction of knowing they are really making a difference in their work for Lanes - while also changing drainage habits nationwide to make their jobs a little easier in the years ahead. A true win-win scenario!

If you’re interested in joining the Lanes team and becoming an ambassador for next year’s Unblocktober campaign, check out our full listing of available vacancies today.