Published 05 Feb 2025

Chimney Sheep Shortlisted in the Engineering Matters Awards

We've been shortlisted in the Engineering Matters Awards. Some awards you have to put yourself in for, but this one, I never entered it, some kind person nominated us. I was contacted out of the blue to do a recording for their podcast. 
I remember chatting on in a bemused way to some fellow back in March and thought nothing more about it. The podcast features a fascinating range of high-tech solutions. How to generate power on the moon, or biochemical treatments for waste, or clever wave energy generation. Then there's us. A bit of wool on a stick.  
But you know, one of the very clever carbon capture devices that is a fellow finalist captures up to 4,000 tons of carbon a year. A Chimney Sheep prevents 1/4 ton of carbon from being released per year. We sell about 40,000 'Sheep a year. So we're (that's you and us) preventing around 10,000 tons of CO2 being released per year. Then there's the cumulative effect of all the 'Sheep we've sold over the last 12 years. Then we put 10% of our profits into Buy Land Plant Trees and plant around 100,000 trees a year, which are brilliant at capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.  So I'd say our simple little low-tech gadget is doing its bit. 
As one of the organisers of the competition stated, “From restoring coastal wetlands to protect against flooding; to rescuing newts on construction sites with specially trained canine teams; and even mitigating devastating marine algal blooms with the humble blue mussel... engineers improve the world with any tool available to them. Not everything that takes us forward must ignite thousands of tonnes of propellant, or map every household in the country onto an intricate digital twin.”
There’s a tendency to search for the big, gadgety, techy solutions to climate change. Things like our product get over-looked, even though we’ve got a lot to offer. So getting shortlisted in the Engineering Matters Awards is a win for us in itself. 
Have a look at the other shortlisted companies and see what illustrious company we are in!

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

44.00 GBP

How does it work?

This ingenious washing machine microfibre filter kit uses cartridges to physically catch and retain the fibres that come loose when you wash your laundry. Each cartridge will last around 15-20 loads of laundry and is easily replaceable in just a couple of minutes.

Fibre retention is based solely on physical retention with the help of clever patent-pending technology.

You can also send the used cartridges back to us and we'll forward them on to PlanetCare. They will ensure that they are reused or recycled.  This ‘closed loop’ system ensures that there is minimum wastage throughout the whole process.

Something to think about:

Doing the laundry can have a huge environmental impact, whether that be using tonnes of energy running the washing machine and tumble drier - or the pollutants that are released from the products you use. Using a microfiber filter is just one way of reducing that impact. Why not make a few more changes - we've tonnes of handy tips in our blog.

 

What's in the box?

You'll get everything you need to fit your PlanetCare washing machine filter with these handy starter kits, meaning you can get it in place and start catching microfibers straight away.

The Mini Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  •  3 cartridges. These can last up to 60 washes.

The XL Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  • 13 cartridges. These can last up to 260 washes.

    Note: All the filter cartridges are 100% recycled and refurbished for use again and again via a closed-loop service.

       

      Is it easy to install?

      The microfiber filter is very easy to install. In fact, for most washing machines this process takes less than 10 minutes. The filters are compatible with all types of washing machines.

      There's actually a handy how-to video and a useful installation guide  you can take a peek at if you need a little bit more guidance.

      It’s a good idea to position it high enough above the floor/surface so the cover can be removed to change the filter and position the device so that it is easy to screw the cover back after each filter change.

      Please note: you will need 13 cm on the side of the washing machine and approx. 60 cm in height clearance so that you will be able to easily unscrew the housing and change the filter comfortably.

      The filter must be placed outside the washing machine on the drain hose. It should not be raised above the height of the drain hose exiting the washing machine. The hose length should be held to a minimum. Raising the filter and a long drain hose will both reduce the efficiency of pumping and filtering and should be avoided.

       

      What are the dimensions of the filter housing?

      The filter housing alone, without any attachments, measures the following:

      • height 325 mm, width (hose attachment direction) 122 mm, and depth 130 mm.

       

      Is the microfiber filter easy to use?

      For the first load, just make sure the filter cover is replaced correctly and screwed tight before using the washing machine. Try a short wash and make sure all connections and covers are fixed and watertight.

      It’s also a good idea to hold the top of the device when replacing the filter cover to avoid putting pressure on the bracket fixings when unscrewing the cover.

      After that, you do not need to do anything until the cartridge is full.

      >Easy!

       

      How does the closed-loop system work?

      When your cartridge is full you can send it back to us directly, simply go onto the delivery website Parcel2Go and produce a label to send the cartridges to us, don't forget to include your order details as we'll refund you the postage cost. We then send these off to PlanetCare who disassemble the cartridge and remove the fibres and filtering medium.  This is done in a controlled environment, ensuring that caught fibres do not pollute water or the environment.

       

      What does Planetcare do with the fibres?

      >At the moment PlanetCare is safely storing the used filtered materials. Once they have sufficient quantity, they will reuse/recycle it all. At the moment they are planning to reuse the materials by converting them into insulation mats. But, they're always on the lookout for viable solutions and will choose the best available option to reuse/ recycle the fibres.

      The waste will never be burned or sent to a landfill!

      The remainder of the cartridge is cleaned, and fitted with a new filtering medium ready to be used again.

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