It’s true, you’d have to have the brain the size of a beachball to know the ins and outs of every UK legislation. Here we have one of the lesser known business requirements by law; sanitary waste bins. They’re just as important as the other laws surrounding your businesses.

Disposal of sanitary waste needs to be disposed of in a safe and hygienic manner. Here’s a little guide to ensure you are up to scratch with your sanitary waste disposal equipment and service.

 

The governing legislation:

 

Every business has a responsibility to ensure their washrooms have all the facilities needed by an occupant, and a sanitary bin is an element of this. Because of the importance of these bins in a female washroom, the UK legislation states plenty of standards which ensure users are fully accommodated for. Sanitary Disposal is governed by the following legislation:

  • The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation 1992

  • The Environmental Protection Act 1990

  • The Duty of Care Regulations 1991

  • The Water Industries Act 1991

 

These four regulations complement each other to iterate the need of a sanitary bin in a workplace washroom. Below are the regulations stated and explained.

 

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation 1992

 

This regulation specifies that all companies are required to provide a suitable means for the disposal of sanitary dressings in ladies washrooms. The regulation states “in the case of water closets used by women, suitable means should be provided for the disposal of sanitary dressings”. This means that washroom cubicles should contain a sanitary unit or other form of bin suitable for the disposal of sanitary waste. If a unit is not in every cubicle, some indication should be made to show which cubicles do have one.

 

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Duty of Care Regulations 1991

 

Also known as the Duty of Care Act, this legislation demands that all sanitary waste is managed up until the point of disposal. Your waste must be carried by a licensed carrier with a valid carrier’s certificate and a full audit trail of documentation must be available at all times. Failure to comply can lead to a large fine or imprisonment.

 

Water Industries Act 1991

 

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 is further endorsed by the Water Industries Act 1991, which states that no items should be flushed that could cause a blockage within the sewer or drain or could cause major plumbing and blockage problems.

Before this regulation was introduced, it was common practice for sanitary waste to be flushed down the toilet as disposal units often weren’t in cubicles but in the communal washroom areas. Having the bins in cubicles means that unhygienic, privacy invading communal bins or flushing items down the toilet can be eliminated.

 

S.S.S (Simple Sanitary Steps)

 

Here is 5 easy steps to ensure your standard of sanitary waste disposal is carried out:-

  1. Purchase sanitary bins for each female toilet in your workplace.

  1. Find a fully licensed carrier with all the appropriate documents (Make sure you have checked these certifications before choosing them).

  1. Dispose of regularly through your carrier. Regular disposal should be dependent on the use of your workplace toilets (can be weekly or monthly).

  1. Ensure your carrier cleans or replaces your bins after every disposal.

  1. Certify every visit from your carrier with documentation.

It really is that simple, making sure you are fully compliant with the sanitary waste disposal legislations can be no problem at all.

 

To read more about our Sanitary disposal service and disposal, view our Sanitary Bin Services page here



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