FM & TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATIONAL / STUDENT FACILITIES
KEEPING DOWN PAPER COSTS AT SCHOOL
Everyone is attempting to tighten their belts during the cost-of-living crisis – particularly in the public sector. Liam Mynes from Tork manufacturer Essity, looks at ways of reducing costs in the school washroom and kitchen.
Schools, like the rest of us, are facing a cost-of-living crisis.
School spending in England fell by nine per cent per pupil between 2009/10 and 2019/20 in real terms, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. And the NASUWT teachers’ union claims this represents the largest budget cut in over 40 years.
A second union, UNISON, concurs that schools all over the country are grappling with insufficient funding. It adds that a pupil who started school in 2010 will have lost out on an average of £5,384 in funding as a result of budget cuts.
So schools are struggling to achieve more with less and provide positive student outcomes against an increasingly difficult backdrop.
School toilets feature fairly low on the list of priorities for most educational establishments. Yet these important facilities are vital to pupils’ well-being. Besides their obvious function they are also a place where students can go to take time out, freshen up and practice essential hand hygiene.
However, a great deal of waste occurs in the average school washroom. Water bills will rise steeply if pupils repeatedly leave taps running, for example. Paper waste also takes place on a grand scale where unsuitable dispensers are installed – or where there are no dispensers at all.
For example, many schools stock their washrooms with conventional toilet rolls because these are perceived to be a low-cost option. The rolls are usually supplied on a simple wire holder or left piled up on the cistern.
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As a result they frequently end up on the washroom floor where they will become wet, soiled and unusable. Some rolls might be unravelled or thrown around by unruly pupils, while others will end up down the toilets where they will cause expensive blockages.
Jumbo toilet rolls have the advantage of being housed in lockable units that prevent students from taking them out or mishandling them. However, the dispensers need to be periodically checked to ensure that the supply has not been allowed to run out. And cleaners may be tempted to replace a roll before it has been completely used up to avoid having to make a repeat visit, a practice that can add to paper costs.
The Tork SmartOne Twin Mini Toilet Roll System is a good alternative since it comes in a lockable unit and a new roll can be inserted at any time to ensure a continuous supply. And the system reduces consumption by up to 40% compared with jumbo roll dispensers since it delivers one sheet at a time.
Facility managers in schools also tend to opt for low-cost liquid soaps in bulk-fill systems. But these units are hard to fill without creating drips which means some soap will be wasted. Meanwhile there will be a slimy residue left on the sinks which will create more work for cleaners.
Tork Foam Soap comes in a non-drip cartridge that serves up to 1,650 users between refills. It is quick to lather and comes in a dispenser that has been purpose-designed to be easy to use by people with low hand strength, such as children. And each soap dose is measured to avoid over-consumption.
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