Over the last few weeks, the wheelie bin has become the centre of some unwanted attention after a woman was filmed placing a cat into it, seemingly for no reason. The story went around the world and the woman was (quite rightly) condemned from all directions; however, this incident was not isolated and the sad fact of the matter is, that bins, and in particular wheelie bins have been used for all sorts of sinister purposes over the years, and the latest incident is only one of several grim tales.

Animals are commonly found dumped in bins and the latest story at least had a happy ending in that the cat was retrieved safe and well, but many animals are found in public bins and not all of them are alive. Yet, it gets worse. New born and unwanted babies are also commonly found in bins – the Americans even have a term for it: ‛trash can baby’

It is because bins, especially large ones like wheelie bins have a lid and are unused for long periods of time that people use them for such sad reasons but wheelie bins have also been used for even grimmer purposes.

Several bodies have been discovered in wheelies bins, not to mention body parts, although this is often a mistake by the criminal as they are good places to preserve evidence as the bin lid keeps the elements away, making it easier for police to track the culprits.

Contraband, such as drugs and guns, are often discovered in outdoor and public bins too, and terrorists have been known to use them to hide explosive devices in – often in busy public areas to cause large scale mayhem. In areas like these it is common to see simple sack holders with transparent bags being used as bins to prevent anything sinister being planted and hidden in them.

Bins themselves have also been known to cause incidents too. Because burnable material like waste paper is often disposed of in bins, they can easily catch alight which is why in many places like hotels, hospitals and other pubic buildings, fire retardant bins are used.

Despite all these grim associations with bins, they are a real necessity and we would be awash with litter, rubbish and detritus without them. So next time somebody buts something in a rubbish bin – lets not blame the bin.

Design is highly important when it comes to selecting the right type of waste bin. So when you are looking to buy a rubbish bin, whether its for the home, business or institution, there are several aspects of bin design you should look out for.

Practicality

The most important facet of any bin is its practicality. However it is to be used it needs to be practical. When you are looking to buy a bin think about how it will be used – is it high enough and easy to throw waste in?

The size too is highly important. Think how much waste will go in and how often it will be emptied. If it is too small you can end up with an overflowing bin while too large a bin can be difficult to empty and handle.

Lids

The lid is highly important on many rubbish receptacles. While waste paper bins don’t need them your kitchen will soon reek if the kitchen bin doesn’t have a decent lid. The design of the lid here is important for practicality too.

A kitchen bin should have a pedal operated lid or another method that prevents you from having to touch it; sensor bins are the latest method for hands free bin use.

Durability

If it is an outdoor bin it needs to be durable. Not only has it got to sit out in all weathers and be manhandled by the refuse collectors, but also it needs to be sturdy enough so that vermin can’t it over or remove the lid. If it is a pubic area it perhaps should be floor or a wall mounted bin to prevent vandalism.

Bins can be stylish and practical

Style

Style is also an important facet for bin design, especially for those we around the home. Nearly every room has a waste bin sat in the corner so it needs to fit in with the décor and style of home. Some really nice designer bins are available manufactured from a wide range of materials, these can be proudly displayed rather than half-hidden behind the furniture.

The amount of food that is disposed of waste bins in the UK alone, is staggering. Shops and takeaways dispose of 1.6 million tonnes of food each year; manufactures dispose of nearly 5 million tonnes; whilst us consumers, dispose of a whopping 4.1m tonnes a year.*

Not only does all this waste provide ethical issues, especially when so many people in the world do not get enough food, but also it causes many health and hygiene problems too.

Food waste can create smells and attract vermin and pests which bring with them health issues and have the potential to close down businesses and ruin reputations.

Waste Management

The waste management of food items is highly important, especially for businesses as an infestation of cockroaches, rats,. Mice; or an outbreak of e.coli or salmonella or other infection could lead to a closure of the business – and a fine too.

Ensuring food waste is disposed if is therefore highly important but the waste management of food items isn’t complicated and circles around the waste bins used to store the food waste.

Rubbish Bins for Food Waste

Rubbish bins for food can be classed in two varieties:

• Indoor bins – where food is thrown away whilst it is being worked with

• Outdoor bins – where the food is stored until collection by the waste management contractor.

Indoor bins – these need to be large enough to store the day’s contents until it is disposed in the main food waste bin outside. An overfull bin will lead to smells and spillages, both of which can cause problems. The two key areas of a good indoor bin or kitchen bin are:

• Easy to clean – stainless steel bins are by far the best solution

• Good fitting lid – prevent the smells and odours from escaping

Stainless steel bins are easy to clean

Outdoor bins – need other facets. A good fitting lid is equally essential but it also has to be strong enough to prevent vermin from gaining access; as does the entire bin, if it easily knocked over it can lead to problems.

* (Source: Tristram Stuart, author of Waste)

]]> http://www.imrubbish.co.uk/blog/2010/08/food-disposal-and-waste-management/feed/ 0 http://www.imrubbish.co.uk/blog/2010/07/rubbish-and-pests-%e2%80%93-eliminating-mess-vermin-and-smells/ http://www.imrubbish.co.uk/blog/2010/07/rubbish-and-pests-%e2%80%93-eliminating-mess-vermin-and-smells/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:26:02 +0000 Richard N Williams http://www.imrubbish.co.uk/blog/?p=203 In the good old days many home owners had a large metal dustbin that they would place all their rubbish into before placing the large heavy lid on top. However, times move on and very few of us have a metal rubbish bin; instead a wide variety of wheelie bins and recycling bins adorn our streets.

In some areas, rubbish is deposited on the curbside in black bags and the result is that in many areas the bags attract vermin and other pests and rubbish can be leaked over the street; having been ripped open by foxes, cats and other animals.

And it’s not just homeowners and those that use black bags either. Even modern wheelie bins can be knocked over by some pests and for businesses, especially ones that dispose of large quantities of food waste – failing to keep flies, rodents and roaches at bay can lead to closure of the business.

Types of pest

There are all sorts of animals that find human waste appealing. For homeowners the biggest problem can be foxes, cats and dogs. They can knock open bins or rip open bags causing mess and nuisance.

But for takeaway and fast food businesses the problem is exacerbated by the sheer volume of waste they dispose of. Flies, cockroaches, mice and rats can be easily attracted but difficult to get rid of, and even if the problem doesn’t lead to the local authority closing the business – if word gets out a lack of customers might.

A good lid wil help prevent vermin

And new pests are starting to get attracted to the waste in cities too. Gulls, once only seen around the coast; plague nearly every city and town.

Preventing Vermin

Prevention is always better than cure and keeping pests away from your rubbish can be easy o accomplish by following these basic steps.

• To prevent large animals from getting into your bin – ensure you have a sturdy and strong outdoor bin. Make sure it has a heavy lid too.
• If food waste is thrown away and stored outside, it is essential it is kept in a rubbish bin with a tight fitting lid. This will prevent smells and prevent your rubbish appealing to the local wildlife.
• Clean the bin regularly; use bin deodorisers if necessary otherwise you may find the detritus in a dirty bin attracts flies.
• Think of other methods of getting rid of food waste; composting is one idea.

From the rear of fast food takeaways to the outdoor bins at schools, hospitals and other public locations, it is vital that proper steps are taking to prevent accident, injury of health problems due to poor waste management.

Outdoor bins can cause the following issues:

• Fire
• Safety
• Smells
• Pests

But preventing and eliminating these problems is straightforward by following these steps:

Fire risk

Fire retardant bins are commonly used in hotels and hospitals, as a fire in an indoor bin could have catastrophic consequences. However, when combustible material, including paper, is being disposed of, fire retardant bins are often worth considering. If an outdoor bin does set alight there is a possibility it could affect neighbouring buildings.

Safety

Safety is important as outdoor bins can be very large receptacles. An outdoor bin, if full, it could cause serious injury if it toppled on somebody. People can also be prone to get inside large bins as a prank or to retrieve items, this too can lead to serious injury. Ensuring the bin is secure and unlikely to topple or be able to cause injury in other ways is important to prevent liability. Any waste that could be considered dangerous should be disposed of responsibly which may mean a specialist bin.

Smells

Outdoor bins need to be safe

A common problem with some outdoor bins, especially restaurant bins and those outside takeaways. Smells can attract pests, flies and be generally unpleasant for the local community. Bin deodorizers are available to reduce problems but regular emptying and a good fitting lid should reduce thee problems.

Pests

Different types of pests can cause different problems. Flies, cockroaches and rodents can invade buildings and force closures of food premises, whilst larger animals like foxes, raccoons and domestic pets will knock bins over and cause mess. Again, a secure fitting lid and sturdy outdoor bin will provide the solution.

Rubbish and waste in some businesses is often minimal and requires little more thought than the removal of rubbish from our homes does. However, in some industries, rubbish removal and waste management can be an integral part of a running a successful business and should never be dealt with lightly:

Food Industry

In the UK there are more fast-food restaurants, diners and takeaways, per person than in any other nation on earth* and all that takeaway food can result in masses of waste that the fast food industry has to deal with.

In the fast food business the rubbish discarded comes in two types:

• Packaging and wrapping
• Food waste

And each has to be dealt with differently.

Packaging and wrapping from fast food items is often discarded close to the premises and businesses need to work with their local authority to ensure there are enough public bins and external bins for litter.

Food waste has to be handled differently, however. Food can attract vermin and can also lead to unpleasant smells. For general use inside the business a good kitchen bin should be used. It needs to be large enough to handle day-to-day waste while also should have a well-fitted lid. You may find for ease of use a pedal bin or sensor bin will be prevent the need from handling it.

Externally – food waste needs to be stored in an outdoor bin which also has a good lid. External bins will also need to be sturdy to prevent them being toppled by vermin.

Office Paper and Recycling

Offices are another common business area that can amass large amounts of waste. Generally most office waste comes in the form of paper.

Paper can of course be recycled so a good paper recycling bin or container should be kept to allow the paper to be collected and recycled. There should be some risk assessment into storing paper as it is a potential fire risk. If waste aper is discarded to an outdoor area a fire retardant bin might be worth a consideration.

Large Capacity Recycling Bin

Steel large capacity recycling bins are a good idea for nearly all types of businesses that discards a lot of recyclable material. There are also recycling bins for collection of plastic cups – another common item discarded from business.

The problem with litter around education buildings is the sheer number of people that use these areas. But neither the students or the schools or colleges are to blame. Often the cause of the littering and the discontent amongst the local community is as a result of bad planning with the areas litter bins and bins for the public.

Student Lifestyle

Students also have an active lifestyle and consume more packaging and fast food products than regular consumers which often leads to a greater amount of litter in areas with a high student population.

This is often overlooked by local authorities who find that the number, type and frequency of emptying of their litter bins is often underestimated causing overflowing bins and strewn litter.

Bin collections too are often too infrequent in these locations and it is often forgotten that in student areas there are many adults living under the same roof so the amount of household litter will also be higher than in residential areas.

Increasing the frequency of collections in these areas will reduce the litter in the residential parts of town.

Public Bins

Around the high street the public bins may need replacing or increasing in number. If there is littering then it is likely there is one of three problems:

• There are not enough public outdoor bins
• The outdoor bins are not large enough
• The public bins are in the wrong location

If the local bins are often full then the problem is going to be size or number. However, it is quite common for the high street litter bins to be half empty but there is still a high level of litter. This may often be because the litter bins are in the wrong location. Ensure fast food outlets and main thoroughfares are covered with large capacity outdoor bins.

Public litter bins

Increasing the number of bins around an area will also reduce the amount of litter but this there is often an added cost to doing this as there will be more bins to empty. By replacing the public litter bins with larger ones this will prevent additional costs from occurring.

To raise awareness of pollution the campaigners have constructed a temporary hotel made nearly completely from rubbish. Complete with five rooms and a reception it is lined with tonnes of rubbish from tin cans, to car exhaust pipes.

While the campaigners are trying to raise awareness about the problem waste can cause, it also highlights another problem. How public buildings, like hotels deal with tonnes of waste that is thrown away in their buildings.

Hotels, shops, bars, restaurants and other public buildings accumulate vast amounts of waste from the people that visit, work or use the facilities and it is a perennial headache for those running these buildings to ensure the waste is disposed of.

Hotel Bins often have to be fire retardant

Public Bins

Public bins do differ to the household bins that we use at home. There are other aspects to think of when supplying bins for the public. Quantity, size and safety are important factors.

As an example, bins for hotels quite often need to be fire retardant bins as the consequence of a clumsily disposed of cigarette could be catastrophic.

Another problem with public bins is the quantity of waste and the frequency of emptying. Us householders may be able to go a week without seeing the dustman but this is not possible when there are vast amounts of waste accumulating in public buildings.

Often places like hotels will have large capacity outdoor bins. These large external bins can hold several day’s worth of rubbish and are often emptied frequently by independent contractors.

The actual indoor bins themselves in public buildings are also larger in capacity than kitchen bins or other household rubbish receptacles. It is also often a full-time job to ensure bins in public buildings are emptied frequently enough, even with these large capacity litter bins.

Councils and local authorities have to invest huge amounts of tax payers money in ensuring these public spaces are kept clean, tidy and safe. And one of the biggest enemy’s of this perennial task – is litter.

Littering costs local authorities a fortune and unlike in the city, it is a particularly challenging job to clean it up in parks and open spaces because of the large areas involved. Not only is litter in parks unattractive but also some litter can pose a hazard to the many children and families that use the parks. Litter can also attract vermin which can be difficult to get rid of and can cause its own problems.

Litter bins

Your number one defence in ensuring any public area is litter free is the public waste bin. Litter bins will help people act responsible when it comes disposing of their waste – as long as they are clearly visible. A good quantity of large outdoor bins will prevent a lot of the litter that can be carelessly discarded but attention needs to be paid to the location of the bins, the size and the frequency of emptying.

Ensuring areas of high usage such as near where ice cream vendors operate will prevent many of the litter problems that can occur in those areas. But other types of bin should also be considered.

Gardening bins and other outdoor bins should also be plentiful for the park’s workers as having to return to bins too frequently is time consuming.

Litter Bins for Local Authorities

Some thought should also go into what to do with any sanitary and hazardous waste. This should obviously be removed as soon as possible, taking every precaution, and a good sanitary bin would be a good idea to ensure it can be stored safely until it can be properly disposed of.

Other Litter Prevention

Dog fouling is another problem in park areas so ensuring there are facilities to dispose of this type of waste will, as with littering, will help encourage dog owners to be responsible.

There is so much to think of when supplying public bins and there is more to it than just supplying somewhere for the public to throw their litter.

Size, quantity and location

highly important as too small a bin, not enough of them or the wrong locations will just ensure littering continues. Establish the footfall in the area; what type of businesses are in the location (such as fast food places) and how often the bins get empties to ensure you get the right size and quantity. And place them where they are clearly visible and easy to access – a bin outside a fast food restaurant should be outside, not across the road!

Smells

If there are food businesses around then you will need to ensure that there is appropriate external bins provided for customers. These will need lids as the smell of rotting food is not only unpleasant it will attract vermin.

Transparent bins prevent explosive devices from being hidden

Fire retardant and Bomb threats

Often a consideration in public buildings like hospitals. Litter can often a be a source of fire so fire retardant bins are important as lives could be at risk. Also in public areas bins and waste containers have been used by terrorists and many public areas in countries that suffer this sort of problem use transparent bins to prevent the hiding of explosives.

Vandalism

A public bin needs to be tough and secure enough that it can’t be tipped over by vandals otherwise it will constantly get kicked over, spewing litter across the public are – making the bin pointless.

Sanitary Bins

In places like hospitals or public washrooms appropriate sanitary bins need to be used to prevent spread of disease. Regular bins should never be used for things like ladies hygiene products or waste bandages.