CLEANING OUT THE BINS
Mike Watt, Director, Training and New Product Development at Avmor, reminds us that we need to clean the dirtiest part of the workshop.
Look in the back of most industrial facilities, and what you are likely to see are bins: sometimes row upon row of them. They’re typically filled with what we call ‘dry’ trash: boxes, along with items made of wood, metals, plastic, foam, and the like. While the waste area may get a regular sweeping, for the most part little is done to keep the bins themselves clean.
Even when filled with dry waste, they can become soiled with food items and residue from a cafeteria or lunch area. This type of garbage is referred to as ‘wet’ waste. Oil and grease, fizzy drinks and food cans may also end up in the rubbish.
And, unless your bins are locked and sealed, it is not uncommon for your industrial neighbors, who may be running out of space, to add some of their trash into yours. In such cases, your bins may be filled with all kinds of soils, both wet and dry.
The big problem with soiled bins is that they attract disease-carrying rodents, and because they are so near your facility – and very often the docks of your location are wide open and next to the bins – they can spread health-risking pathogens throughout your site. As industrial bins become more soiled, they release odours which are welcoming to even more pests.
MAINTENANCE Traditionally, bins and trash areas have been cleaned by ‘decking’ them down using brushes on poles or they are pressure washed using powerful cleaning solutions. Rarely are these cleaning solutions environmentally preferable, so they have the potential of being harmful to the user, the industrial facility, as well as the environment.
A LESS INVITING MESS There are some steps you can implement immediately to help deter vermin, and the first is to separate dry from wet waste. For instance, any trash coming from a kitchen or cafeteria should have its own bin, to keep dry waste bins cleaner for longer.
Other steps you can take include the following:
• Reduce or eliminate vegetation directly around the waste area.
• Make sure there are no tree branches in the immediate area, as climbing up tree branches is an accessible entrance and escape route for rodents.
• Bag and tie waste bags and place them in the bin, not by its side.
• Flatten all cardboard. • Rinse cans and bottles before disposing of them. • Keep the waste area dry, clean, and organised. • If the bin drains, make sure there is no entry for rodents. • The lids should close firmly and securely. • Lock the bins when not in use.
A healthier option is to use microbial cleaning solutions. They contain specially selected soil-eating bacteria, but are safe for the user and the environment. In the process of digesting soils they help eliminate malodours, removing the attraction to rodents.
While they can be put to work in different ways, some microbial cleaning products come with a dispensing system that attaches to a hose, mixing the cleaning solution with the proper amount of water. Using this system, apply the cleaning solution to the interior and exterior of the bins and their surrounding area.
As the bacteria begins to digest germs and bacteria, it also releases enzymes that convert soils into carbon dioxide and water, which can then be washed away with pure water and dispensed down drains without environmental concerns.
One of the benefits of these microbial cleaning products is that they can continue working for about 80 hours after they have been applied. This means that if a bin is severely coated with soils and contaminants, microbial cleaners can be allowed to dwell, to help break down the soils.
The question now is how often should bins be cleaned? For wet waste, cleaning should be performed at least twice per month or more. For dry waste containers, once per month should be sufficient. The goal with these is preventive: steps taken to prevent soiling from developing will help keep the entire waste area cleaner and healthier.
www.avmor.com 44 | INDUSTRIAL CLEANING
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