In order to keep a public location clean and tidy, the public bin is the most fundamental and important tool available. Providing receptacles for the general public to dispose of their waste is vital, especially in busy locations such as the high street, them parks and around fast food eateries.

Simply placing a bin in a public location, however, is not necessarily enough to ensure that the pavements and walkways remain clear and free from litter. Often locations either have bins placed in the wrong location, or not enough of them to begin with, which causes litter to be disposed of on the floor making the grounds unsightly and costly to clear up.

Having enough public bins and placing them in the right location is, therefore, an important aspect of dealing with waste in public locations.

Location of Bins

Placing a bin in the right location is key to ensuring a public area remains rubbish-free. Public outdoor bins need to be placed along walkways where the most footfall is, as those tucked away around corners will be easily missed.

Furthermore, the location of bins should depend on the type of facilities and services that are around. Areas with snack bars and eateries, for instance, will need bins around that are clearly visible, while remote areas with fewer people around and where food and other items that can cause waste are not sold will not be as important to place bins in.

Number of Bins

Ensuring you have enough public bins is also important. If outdoor bins get too full, too quickly then waste will soon spill out and build up around the area. Again, the number of bins is often dependent on the area. If there is a lot of fast food vendors around then several bins will be needed, however, in other areas a single bin may suffice.

Footfall is a good indicator to the amount of bins needed too. The more people, the more rubbish will be disposed of hence more bins.

Getting the number of bins and the right location to place them is an essential part of public waste management and getting it right is important to ensure the public areas remain litter-free.

Location of bins is important

Whether you running a public building, private business or are part of the service sector you are responsible for the rubbish you accumulate and dispose of. For most people that is a case of simply throwing the waste in the outdoor bin until it is collected. However, health, hygiene and safety risks can occur in many locations where waste is stored outdoors.

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.

Waste is a key part of any business -whilst reducing waste can help increase profitability – it can never be totally eliminated and all businesses have to deal cope with waste management.

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.

There has been quite a bit of bad press about the littering caused by students in some university towns. And in many areas where residents live in local proximity to local schools, college or universities, littering is a cause for tension between the local community and the educational establishment.

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.

While I have stayed in many rubbish hotels, I have yet to stay in one made from rubbish. Yet, environmental campaigners in Rome have done just that.

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.

One of the unforeseen challenges to any business, local authority, council, institute or contractor is equipping a new building or facility with refuse bins. Waste bins after all are a common-or-garden object, so how difficult can it be?

Well actually, choosing the wrong type of bin can have all sorts of repercussions in the smooth running of any building or institute. Ensuring you kit any building out with the right equipment is crucial and making sure you select the right bins is no different. Not only can litter and mess build-up if the right bins are not provided but all sort of other problems can occur – from vermin to potential fires.

Essentially there are four things to think about when supply bins for a building, facility or institute:

Type of Waste

The first thing to think about is the type of waste that is disposed of. This will go along way in helping you decide what type of rubbish or waste bin is required. If food waste is being disposed of a good kitchen bin with appropriate lid is essential and so is an external bin capable of repelling vermin and pests and also keeping smells at bay.

In most offices, the largest volume of waste is paper based. Whilst simple waste paper baskets are adequate inside the building, you will need to ensure any external bins are fire retardant in case the paper is accidentally or deliberately ignited.

Fire retardant bins should be considered if combustible materials like paper is discared in quantity

Size of Bin Required

The size of both internal and external bins relies on two points:

* The frequency of emptying

* The amount of waste discarded

Location of bins

Another aspect to get right is ensuring the bins are in the right place. If bins are in the wrong location littering and waste time can often occur. Think of the workforce and where they will be when they require a waste bin.

Volume required

Ensuring you have enough bins is also important as is choose the right bin for the location too – kitchen bins should be provided where food is served and in bathrooms some sort of sanitary bin will be required.

The bin plays a vital role in the care sector and other service industries. It is a crucial part in ensuring hygiene and plays a part in the fight against hospital acquired infections.

Care sector bins have to function under far more demanding circumstances that conventional rubbish receptacles. From the type of waste to the vast quantities of waste that can accumulate in the care or service industry means that when it comes to sourcing bins for the service or care sector, a lot of thought needs to go into it.

Firstly, the type of material that is discarded will influence the type of receptacle required. Any service industry or care work that involves infants will need somewhere to dispose of soiled nappies. Smells and risk of access from children means that large nappy bins have to have a good fitting lid.

Sanitary bins

Other types of sanitary bins are required in the care sector too. Geriatric care and medical procedures require bins to dispose of this material. Any sanitary bin has to store items that have the potential to cause infection so the quality of the bin can’t be a compromise.

Fire retardant bins are also a consideration in many buildings in the care and service sector. Any public bin at a hospital has to be fire retardant as the risks of a fire could be catastrophic so most hospital bins are fire retardant.

Finally, you must plan carefully remember the to assess how much waste is going to be disposed of and of what type. It is also crucial to know how often the bin will be emptied as this will have a large impact on the size required. Also think of the people that will be using the bins. Children need to be prevented from accessing hazardous material while any bins that re to be accessed by the aged or infirm needs to be easy to use.

Sourcing and buying good quality bins for the service sector isn’t necessarily difficult. Choose a vendor with experience and that can supply a large range of bins to ensure you are always supplied with they type you need.

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.

We are all wasteful. Each year, an average person throws out over a tonne of rubbish into our waste bins. And our rubbish bins contain everything from organic and food waste to paper, plastic and even metals.

Even though many of us now recycle and use recycling bins, most of us are aware that much of the rubbish that we throw out ends up in landfill sites, often referred to as rubbish dumps, garbage dumps or tips. But these rubbish dumps are not the scourge on the environment many of us assume and far from just being just large pits where tonnes of rubbish is piled up for all eternity, land fills are constructed after a lot of thought and consideration.

For a site to be viable for a landfill or rubbish dump it has to adhere to many requirements, which include:
Location
Type
Stability
Capacity
Environment Safeguards

Location – the location of a landfill is incredibly important. Firstly, dumps can’t be built too near to people’s homes because of smells, the effects on house prices and disapproval of local residents. But also landfills need to have good access by road or rail, be cost effective (cheap) land to buy.

Type – Rubbish dumps are built in three different guises: Pits;often using existing holes forged my mining. Canyons; using holes forged by nature; and mounds; piling rubbish above ground.

Stability – Landfills have to be on stable ground. There should be no earth quake faults, water tables, rivers, streams or flood plains.

Capacity – Any planning of a landfill requires enough capacity for the authorities that use the dump. Busy city centres where millions of rubbish bins are emptied every week will require larger capacities than smaller areas where the amount of waste discarded is less.

Environment Safeguards – land fills are built under strict guidelines to prevent as much environmental impact as possible. Soil, water systems and other effects on the environment are seriously considered before any site is allocated as a land fill. And while a former land fill site will be no good to build houses on, in fact, many land fills are often turned into nature parks once they are filled which can off-set any damage done to the environment while the landfill was in use.

There has been much emphasis in the media over recent years about hospital hygiene and in particular the battle against hospital acquired infections. However, when it comes to the importance of hospital hygiene there is one device that is often overlooked and yet it is perhaps one of the most important tools in hospital hygiene – the hospital bin.

Hospital bins are vitally important as they house a lot of waste that can contain traces of bodily fluids such as blood and other waste that can be infected with microbes. Hospital bins are unlike other waste bins in that they also have to conform with the most stringent regulations.

Fire retardant bins for hospitals are often required in many areas as the health and safety of patients is crucial.

Fire retardant bins are often required in many areas as the health and safety of patients is crucial in medical environments. Fire retardant hospital bins are often sack Holders that are manufactured from high density polypropylene. Not only does this material retard fire but also it has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial qualities so will ensure the bin is not responsible for spreading of infections.

Many hospital bins have to be colour coded too for different areas and different waste such as yellow, orange, white and black. This is important to prevent any contaminated waste such as bandages from ending up on a conventional landfill.

There are other important aspects to hospital bins also. Whilst many bins around hospitals are simple sack holder bins they often have pedals (and even sensors) that prevent the need to handle the bin. This can be quite important as handling a bin, especially if it contains infectious waste, is not desirable to most people and can also lead to the spreading of infections.

Another important aspect to hospital bins is ensuring they are all of an adequate size. If a bin is filled before it is empty the there is often a temptation by people to dispose of the wrong item in the wrong bin, this can lead to medical waste ending up on conventional landfills or worse infectious material lingering on top of a full bin!

The hospital bin is a vital tool in ensuring that hospitals remain hygienic so it important for any hospital administrator that they have the right bins, that are the right size in the right areas.