The nappy bin is increasingly becoming and important part of childcare, this article explains why and what do look our for when choosing a nappy bin for the service sector.

Childcare is  important for many people in the modern world who try to juggle careers and families – a daily struggle for many households as is finding appropriate childcare.

Nobody will just leave their child with anyone no matter the qualifications and standards of the nursery and the staff, people need somewhere that can reflect their own wishes in the way they bring up their children.

Increasingly, people are reverting to more natural methods and eco friendly ways of raising their children and the resurgence in use of non-disposable nappies is one example.

More and more families realise the need to reduce waste and the nappy is unfortunately a large part of the problems we have in finding landfill space and preventing environmental damage. This is why many parents are now dismissing disposable nappies and reverting to the terry type towelling nappy.

And parents expect those that car for their children when they are not around to abide their wishes in the way they bring their children up which is why many nurseries and child care workers are buying nappy bins.

A nappy bin is more than just a bucket and there are several aspects to consider if you are to start using them.

Size

Firstly you need an appropriate size. Small nappy bins may be okay for a home environment but when it comes to a professional childcare setting, the larger the better. A 65  litre nappy bin should be considered otherwise you may find yourself having to empty too often and will have to do more washing than is necessary.

Lid

Preventing smells, germs; and ensuring children can’t get access to the nappy bin is vitally important. This is another reason why a large 65l nappy bin should be considered and just as importantly you need to make sure it has a good fitting lid, otherwise smells can generate.

Recommendations

Here are some things to look out for when looking to buy a nappy bin:

Size matters with nappy bins - 65l nappy bin

• Choose a large a capacity as possible, a 65l nappy bin is recommended
• One that is Rugged, polyethylene is perhaps the best material as it is easy to clean and won’t allow germs to linger.
• Chute lids for discretion and hygiene will prevent children from accessing the nappy bin and will make them easier to use
• Airtight top will prevent smells

Providing public litter bins and waste containers is not as simple a task as it may first appear. There is more to the humble outdoor and public bin than just being a receptacle for rubbish. And quite often, if when local authorities, hospitals or other public body gets their waste bin decisions wrong – it can be disastrous and expensive.

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.

The care sector is an important but challenging industry. Ensuring vulnerable people are cared for requires a multitude of skills and abilities, but when mistakes are made criticisms can often be scathing.

Hygiene is one aspect where many sections of the care industry have come under criticism in recent years; the spread of hospital acquired infections being one reason, which is why those working in the care sector now consider hygiene to be amongst one of the highest priorities.

However, whilst a lot of emphasis is based on cleaning and ensuring floors and surfaces are clean, waste management is often overlooked as a secondary priority. But waste management is vital in any care sector surrounding, particularly in preventing the spread of infection.

Overflowing bins, the wrong type of receptacle for soiled garments or lack of regularity in the emptying of waste bins can add to the risk of infection or of disease spreading.

Hospitals,care homes and even nurseries need to ensure they have the correct bins and waste management procedures for dealing with things such as soiled garments, used bandages and even nappies. They all need to be stored in the correct receptacle to protect people in the care sector from risk of infection.

Sanitary bins are not the same as conventional bins. Bandages or hygiene products need to stored carefully before they are disposed of and while there are laws governing the disposal of such items to keep them from regular rubbish landfills, there is little legislation governing the storage of these items in the care sector itself.

However, sanitary bins, and even nappy bins are created to ensure that soiled items or products that could possibly contain pathogens are stored safely without risking the spread of disease. They are manufactured with good quality lids and are often pedal activated to reduce the risk of spreading germs through repeated contact with the bin itself.

A nappy bin is often overlooked but is important to prevent possible infection

They are also manufactured from bacteria resistant materials such as Polypropylene which offers limited surface area for germs to attach to.

The size of sanitary bin or nappy bin obviously depends on the amount of items disposed of and the regularity of the emptying of the bin but its always wise to err on the side of caution because of the bin gets full and just one sanitary item is disposed of improperly, serious repercussions could result.

The sanitary bin is unlike other waste bins we may have around the home and office. Sanitary bins are designed fro washroom and bathroom locations and as such, are often used to dispose of feminine hygiene products, razor blades and all manner of personal, hygienic and medicinal waste.

For this reason the sanitary bin should have several features. Firstly, a good bin for washrooms or bathrooms needs to have a pedal or sensor system. Nobody likes to handle bins, especially if somebody else has placed personal waste in their which may have traces of body fluids such as blood.

Secondly, a bin for the washroom needs to be of adequate size. If the sanitary bin is for a workplace wash room or bathroom then it needs to be large enough that it won’t fill up between emptying times. If a bin is full then many of the items that should be thrown in the waste bin will get discarded in the toilet. Some of these items such as feminine sanitary devices can block up toilet systems very easily and so failing to have the right sized bin could cost a fortune in plumbing bill.

Washroom bins and bins for the bathroom are also often made from Polypropylene. This is a man made polymer and is well suited for this type of location as it is quite resistant to bacteria and microbes as there is nowhere for the bugs to hide on the bin surface.

Other materials that are good for sanitary bins are stainless steel, although stainless steel bins are often more expensive but they offer good protection against bugs and are easy to clean too. Materials to be avoided are things like wicker or mesh. These may make attractive waste paper baskets but they are not fit for purpose in a sanitary location.

There are other areas to the washroom and bathroom where a sanitary bin is often used such as medical facilities and hospitals although specialist hospital bins and bins designed to take medicinal products are available for clinics, surgeries and hospitals. These are very similar to sanitary bins but are often larger, sturdier and have to adhere to numerous regulations including fire retardation.

Sanitary bins are an important part of washroom hygiene so please ensure your home or workplace has an adequate sanitary bin.