Archive for the ‘smoking bin’ Category

Recycling at Work

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

The workplace generates a lot of waste. No matter whether you work in an office, warehouse, factory or outside, waste is a natural by-product of nearly every occupation.

A lot of what we throw away when we are at work, however, can be recycled and it is increasingly important that we think abut the environment when we are at work – especially considering the amount of time many of us spend there.

One of the biggest wastages in the workplace is the amount of paper we get through. Even though everything is computerised these days, we still are using just as much – if not more – paper than ever.

And not enough of us are recycling it either and this is a terrible waste as paper is one of the easiest of our resources to recycle. Recycling bins and paper recycling bins should be in the corner of nearly every office. So much paper gets thrown away that if all workplaces ensured it went in the recycling bin it would make a huge difference in the waste that ends up on landfill sites – and the number of trees cut down.

Cup collector

Cup collector

But its no just paper that is a nuisance to the environment. Many workplaces have vending machines and while these are very convenient for a quick cuppa the plystyrene and plastic cups that are used mainly end up on landfills – where they can longer for decades.

These can be recycled and many vending machine manufacturers are using more eco friendlier materials to make the little cups from. Placing cup collectors near the vending machines and canteen to catch the empties will ensure that these extremely numerous cups end up recycled not in the rubbish bin.

Cans from vending machines, too, can be recycled; can collectors will ensure the empties get taken away for recycling.

There are other ways of being a little more eco friendly at work too, such as making use of email and electric means rather than the printer and making sure you don’t waste paper unnecessarily. The culmination of this, and all other recycling tips is that less rubbish gets chucked away in the skip or external bin.

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Public Bins for Councils and Local Authorities

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

For local authorities, one of the most important aspects of keeping any city or town clean and free from litter is ensuring there are adequate bins to deal with the litter and rubbish the town’s population throw away.

The public litter bin is a vital tool in keeping towns and cities clean and inadequate bins, or lack of regular emptying will not only increase rubbish and litter but will lead to an increase in cost of tidying and cleaning up the town’s streets.

There are three aspects for selecting bins for public use and many local authorities and councils often make mistakes when looking for rubbish receptacles for public use leading to an increase in littering and fly-tipping.

But getting right is simple if you remember three key points:

Size

Ensuring the right sized bins are used is vital in preventing littering. Once a bin is full it is no longer useful and litter will pile up and spill all over the place. This will then get blown around by the wind making it pointless in having a bin in the first place. Ensure you order bins that are the right size for the number of people that are likely to use it. Busy high streets will require larger bins than smaller villages.

Also, the size of bin will be affected by how often it can be emptied. If a high street bin is only empti4d once a week then you must make sure its large enough, or there are enough of them, to cope with a weeks rubbish.

Location

Not having enough bins or placing them in the wrong area is another cause for increased littering. Studies have shown that most will not litter but will throw their rubbish in a litter bin if they are available. However, if the nearest bin is on the opposite side of the road or unseen around a corner, people revert back to littering.

Type

Location will often decide the size and type of bin too. A high street bin outside a busy takeaway or fast food place will need to be large enough to cop with the amount of rubbish it will have to deal with but also will have to ensure that the food waste is not accessible to vermin.

Since the smoking ban many local authorities have found an increase in cigarette litter. This is due to more people smoking out of doors so its important that in areas where high amounts of cigarettes are discarded, large ashtray bins or cigarette bins are installed to prevent it.

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The Smoking Ban and Discarded Cigarette Butts

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

The smoking ban has created a better environment for all of us. But its introduction has had some unforeseen side effects; outside many buildings where smokers now congregate, an unsightly build up of discarded cigarette butts can often be seen.

Many pubs, bars and restaurants have installed ashtrays but often they are too small and they soon over flow and the discarded cigarette butts end up falling on the floor.

Smoking bins are a far more practical solution, especially with the smoking ban meaning that more and more bars, pubs and restaurants have a regular crowd of people outside the doors. Unlike normal litter bins and waste bins, a smoking bin is designed to allow the cigarette to be safely stubbed out before it is discarded.

These cigarette bins are also able to hold large amounts of cigarette ends and can cope with the demands of a busy restaurant or bar. They are also made from metal to prevent any possibility of fire, a problem that can often occur if smokers are forced to discard cigarette ends in conventional waste bins.

A free standing smoking bins as well as wall mounted cigarette bins when compared to ashtrays, don’tt have to be emptied as often and will ensure that the front of the building is not littered with cigarette ends.

Cigarette bins can also help to ensure people are not congregating and blocking entrances and exits. By placing a smoking bin or cigarette bin away from the front door it will steer smokers away from the building’s frontage. Although, if there is no cover you may find people congregating under the nearest porch and so would be best to place the smoking bin there.

Any you could be legally responsible too. Many local authorities are cracking down on the discarding of cigarette materials and large fines are being imposed on both smokers and businesses who allow the littering on the front of their premises.

More and more bars and restaurants are realising that they need to provide facilities now for smokers to prevent either their doorways being blocked or cigarette butts from littering the floor. Smoking shelters are becoming common place and for every shelter it is important that good sized smoking bin is provided to prevent litter.

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