Cleaners can do so much more than just vacuum and mop.
In fact, cleaning services are one of the most in-demand services right now. There are a lot of cleaners out there who only offer services as cleaners or handypeople, and leave it at that.
Many people ask Can cleaners empty sanitary bins?
And the simple answer is no. So if you’re looking for your regular cleaner to empty your sanitary waste bins on a regular basis, then the answer you may often find is that they won’t be able to help you with that.
As part of the legal responsibilities of the duty of care, there are specific requirements for a hygiene business to manage all sanitary waste to the point of disposal. This essentially means employees and regular domestic and commercial cleaners cannot be made responsible for the disposal or control of substances hazardous to health themselves.
All sanitary and offensive waste must be handled by an authentic licensed carrier with an appropriate contract with a licensed point of disposal facility. An entire audit trail of documentation must be recorded, available and kept for two years after collection.
What is a sanitary bin?
A sanitary bin is a large plastic waste bins that are designed to hold contaminated materials generated by employees, such as paper towels, tissues, and diapers.
These bins will usually be situated in restrooms, break rooms, and other areas where employees handle these materials.
Because these materials are considered to be biohazards or pathogenic, they must be disposed of differently than regular office waste for health safety, and welfare.
While the contents of a sanitary bin will change depending on the type of business you operate, they are almost always regulated by local health codes.
These codes exist to reduce the risk of employees contracting diseases from contaminated materials and therefore protect the general public from exposure to these diseases upon disposal. (control of substances hazardous to health– COSHH)
Why do you need to empty your sanitary bins?
A sanitary bin is a container that is used to store items that can be contaminated by bacteria and often contain waste products from the human body.
These contaminated items can include feminine hygiene products, paper towels, and tissues. The purpose of these sanitary disposal bins is to prevent the spread of bacteria from one item to another.
It’s essential to be aware of what your cleaning staff can and cannot do for you. Before you hire a cleaning service, it’s a good idea to have a conversation regarding the licenses they hold and what they are permitted to dispose of via government and health regulations for health safety and welfare.
If your cleaning or hygiene company does not hold the specific license needed to empty and dispose of commercial sanitary waste bins, they cannot perform this task for you, and a designated and professional hygiene service will need to be called to do so.
How often should you empty your sanitary bins?
It really depends on the size of your office, the number of employees, and the types of materials your employees handle. These are all factors that will contribute to the amount of sanitary waste generated by your staff.
Suppose your staff base is primarily made up of women. In that case, you may need to empty your sanitary bins more often than if your staff is primarily made up of men.
This is because women are more likely to be disposing of sanitary wear and tissues during their periods. If you need clarification on how often your sanitary bins should be emptied, you can always ask your professional hygienic team when they come to do their disposals.
They should be able to offer you a ballpark estimate of how much waste is generated each day and how often your sanitary bins need to be emptied.
Can your cleaners also empty your sanitary bins?
There’s a good chance your cleaners will not be able to empty your sanitary waste bins.
If your cleaners can empty your sanitary bins as part of their licensed services, they should let you know when they start working for you. This way, they will be able to empty the bins against an optimum hygiene schedule.
Suppose they are unable to empty your sanitary bins. In that case, they can always attach a note to the containers, inform management or even call the hygiene company themselves to schedule a disposal if they find them overfull or unhygienic at any point in their daily cleans.
Conclusion
Cleaning services are more than just cleaning services and handyperson services, but it’s up to you to specify what you want them to do. If you need help with specific areas within your office that your cleaning staff can do for you, let them know.
However, if you need them to empty your sanitary disposal bins and dispose of the contents, then you should be aware of the rules and regulations surrounding this element of commercial hygiene, and a regular cleaner may not be able to assist with this.
So in answer to the question “Can cleaners empty sanitary bins?”, you will often be met with “No, they can’t.”
When hiring a cleaning company, make sure you know what you need them to do and be aware of the different ways to dispose of different kinds of waste and the specific licenses needed for particular hygiene areas.