Sanitary Bin Collection - The Big Picture

How many employees does a business need to have to provide this service? What are the implications of non-compliance? Which government department is in charge of this law? Most important would be “How can technology make this process more hygienic and increase discretion?”.

Let’s start with the law. Health & Safety Executive – Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (regulation 21/192) quotes “In toilets used by women, suitable means for the disposal of sanitary dressings should also be provided.” This statement is implicit enough to mean that every toilet cubicle that will be visited by a woman must have a sanitary bin. Further on from this there is definition to the number of cubicles that must be provided per head for a business. There is discretion for buildings constructed before that year regarding mixed sex washrooms but apart from that it is very clear. So this means that every business premises must have at least 1 sanitary bin that is suitable for purpose. There are also laws governing the correct disposal of sanitary waste which we have covered in our 2016 “Offensive Waste Guide” which can be read here.

What is suitable as a sanitary bin? There is no clarity on this but overwhelming consensus from anybody using the same washroom is that the bin should be hygienic, discreet, and clean whilst providing odour control. Just throwing an air-freshener in a bucket style bin is not going to cut it. This unit will need to be emptied and cleaned regularly. Whilst there is no law governing this it is common decency to support your staff’s basic hygiene needs and this need is about as fundamental as it gets. My wife informs me that this is not always apparent. Businesses should be ashamed if they are not supporting their workforce effectively and can expect similar levels of respect in return. So, how can you do that?

Having a managed sanitary bin contract takes away all of this stress. At Zenith Washroom Services we are constantly gathering data from our users, analysing the latest technologies and reviewing our processes to ensure we offer a discreet, hygienic and easy to use service for our users. Over the years we have reviewed many solutions and find our present solution simple from both the user perspective and for the efficiency of our service operatives. This solution involves:

• Foot pedal operated sanitary bins - Automatic sanitary bins are simply less reliable as they have moving parts that need specific servicing and are battery powered so once the battery runs out they are impossible to use. Pedal operated sanitary bins provide simple maintenance and higher reliability over automatic versions.
• Low profile sanitary bins - Our customers have provided us with feedback that the taller bins can actually interfere with using the toilets so we try to ensure our bins are lower than the toilet seat level.
• Free Sanitary Bag dispensers - Providing these for free with our sanitary bins ensures a higher level of cleanliness between services and a more efficient service visit from our washroom operatives.
• Liner exchange over bin exchange - This is all about discretion and efficiency. Every service visit our operatives clean the bins with anti-bacterial cleaner, paying particular attention to the access flap, and carry out the liner which is easier so ensures a much lower visual impact in your professional environment.

Having supplied thousands of premises with our sanitary bin solution and sanitary bin collection service we know our solution works well and provides our customers with the peace of mind that they are not just complying with the laws that govern feminine hygiene in the workplace but that they are offering a well thought out and established solution that offers the highest levels of convenience, discretion and hygiene in their washroom environments. Contact Zenith Washroom Solutions today for a free, no obligation, quote.