New trolley cleaning machine to help halt spread of coronavirus in UK

News
19/05/2020

A new supermarket trolley cleaning machine could be crucial in the UK’s battle against the spread of coronavirus – and potentially help save lives.


Clean Trolley, which was invented in the Netherlands and is being distributed by Lancashire-based company Wilkinson Mobile Catering, functions in a similar way to a car wash.


The trolley is moved through the machine and the entire trolley, including the wheels, is sprayed and cleaned with viricide which effectively kills off COVID-19 and other viruses.


It allows an entire row of trolleys to be pushed through and can completely clean 30 in under 30 seconds, meaning not only is it much more thorough than the current method of a retail assistant wiping the trolley bar handle down by hand, but it’s also much more efficient too.


The machines are being sold at a rate of around 200 a week in Germany, appearing in the country’s Lidl and Aldi supermarkets, but supermarkets in the UK have been much slower in coming on board.


Health and safety regulations mean that middle managers at supermarkets have been unable to authorise them to demonstrate the Clean Trolley on a commercial basis in local supermarkets.


And this is something Mike Wilkinson, Managing Director of Wilkinson Mobile Catering, thinks needs to change.


“Given the importance now attached to clean shopping spaces, Clean Trolley would be a vital boost in the effort to promote public hygiene and limit the spread of Covid-19,”

said Mike.

“At the moment everyone is having to reinvent themselves and work out how to do this in an efficient manner.

“Supermarkets are doing all they can in this hugely challenging time, but Clean Trolley would help them to be even more effective and provide customers with a trolley they can be safe in the knowledge that a trolley is 100% virus free.”


Wilkinson Mobile Catering will also donate 10% of the profits to the NHS charities fund, and the intention is to run it out to every UK supermarket.


But, as Mike explained, the possibilities do not stop there – particularly as a second spike of the virus could become a reality.


“We’re also thinking about the hospital sector, for things such as wheelchairs and beds, and airports. For anything that is portable but not electrical, that is handled by large groups of people and that could spread the coronavirus inadvertently, Clean Trolley will minimise that risk going forward.”


If you would like to trial Clean Trolley, contact Mike Wilkinson by phone on 01254 706348/07538 868206 or by email at info@cleantrolley.co.uk