Army veteran makes environmental promise with new waste company

A British army veteran says he is using his military training to serve communities and the environment after setting up a waste management company with an environmental promise.

Tyler Bloomhill, of Breedon-on-the-Hill in North-West Leicestershire, says his training and service with the British Army’s 4 Armoured Medical Regiment are now helping him in his new venture: waste management company Kwiktip.

Bloomhill says his time in the army has helped him realise the importance of decluttering and having tidy habits for his own mental health and productivity. Now he wants to help businesses and residents to dispose of their waste in the most responsible way, learn to live with less and make a social impact.

“I was quite messy and wasteful before I went into the army,” said Bloomhill. “But the army really does teach you some excellent habits. When you’re out on exercises in the field, you’re trained so that you operate at your absolute best. You have a pack called a ‘bergen’ that you might have to carry for one or two weeks, which has the bare essentials of what you need.

“It teaches you to cope. You learn that when you have more than you need, it actually just weighs you down.

“The other thing about moving around all day carrying only what you need is that it means you make the most of what you do have, and you make sure you care for what you do have too.

“For example, you have to carry the things you eat with, so you get used to looking after them, and you can’t afford to get ill.

“That training has impacted all areas of my life. It’s a simple thing but I always make my bed every morning without fail now. It’s just a great start to the day. And if I buy something, I make sure it’s going to last.”

Bloomhill’s military service was of a different kind from what might be expected: he was stationed on the battlefields of 2020, the Covid wards manned by military personnel where – right at the start of the pandemic – he underwent 13-hour shifts in Covid ICU, assisting nurses and doctors in helping dying, intubated patients and their families with final goodbyes via Skype.

Now he wants his company to help other ex-servicemen, service leavers and reservists with career transition and through employment, as well as veterans’ charities, residents and businesses to dispose of waste responsibly.

Kwiktip, which Bloomhill runs with his father Simon, works with customers and large national waste brokers to dispose of a whole range of different types of rubbish, including clinical waste produced by the NHS, electrical goods being disposed of by businesses, sofas, mattresses and fridges that are thrown out, shop refit construction waste, kitchen and bathroom waste created when developers or landlords are giving their properties a re-vamp.

He added: “When we go into businesses and meet householders to talk about their waste disposal needs, in just a quick 15-minute conversation we can really help them save money and implement quick easy wins that don’t cause inconvenience. We can be responsible citizens, and contribute to our community by just giving them simple advice on how to sort out their rubbish before we come to take it away. Just doing that can have a huge accumulative impact.

“We have all the expertise and knowhow to take the waste to where it can be re-used or recycled in the best way for the planet. Rather than dumping sofas in landfill, for example, they can actually be disposed of in such a way as to re-use many of their components.

“If you’re a business and you want reliable consistent collections, save money and sleep better at night knowing you’re doing a good thing for the environment, we’d recommend taking a bit of time to talk with a registered, responsible company about your waste disposal.”

Now Kwiktip wants to perform a role in the wider community by educating people about what happens to waste when it leaves their property or premises.

The father-and-son team believes that by educating businesses and residents about where and how waste is disposed, and by providing some quick ways of recycling so that waste that can be recycled is not contaminated, they can play a vital role in helping fight back against climate change.

Bloomhill said: “My time in the army was hugely beneficial and it taught me a lot about myself and also about how we can all look after our mental health by just cutting down on our consumerism. You can live a lean, clean life by using well what you have. And through Kwiktip I’d love to see businesses and residents feeling better about their environmental footprint by learning how to dispose of waste in a responsible way.”