Providing your female staff and customers with a discreet and hygienic place to dispose of feminine hygiene waste is not only crucial to maintaining a clean and pleasant washroom environment, it’s also a legal requirement.

A lot of people are unaware of this but as a business owner, you need to adhere to sanitary waste disposal regulations in order to ensure that your company complies with the following:

•  The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• The Water Industries Act 1991
• The Environmental Protection Act 1990

There is strict legislation surrounding this matter so it’s important to educate yourself about the laws otherwise you could unwittingly find yourself in trouble.

Do I need to provide sanitary bins?

If you have any female employees, or if women from other companies visit your premises, you need to provide sanitary waste disposal bins and they should be placed in readily accessible places.

The Duty of Care Act means that as well as providing these conveniences, any sanitary waste must be managed to the point of disposal. This means that neither you or any of your employees can dispose of the contents of the bins. Only a licenced carrier can do this and a full audit trail of documentation must be available at all times. Failure to comply with this can lead to a large fine or even imprisonment.

Why do I need to provide sanitary waste disposal?

The Water Industries Act states that sanitary waste which can cause harm to a sewer or drain should not be flushed. As well as having disastrous consequences on the environment, putting sanitary waste down the toilet can result in expensive drain clearing bills for your area.

Towels and tampons aren’t dissolvable which means that when they’re flushed, they pollute water systems and eventually, beaches. These materials are incredibly bad for the environment but if bins aren’t provided, the only option is to put them down the toilet.

What’s more, sanitary waste can also lead to blockages of your very own drain systems. This will eventually lead to toilets which are out of order and need costly repairs. If you’re a business which has customers visiting your premises on a regular basis, smelly toilets that don’t work are very off-putting and can even damage your reputation.

Finally, The Environmental Act imposes a Duty of Care on organisations that produce, keep or dispose of controlled waste, including sanitary waste. This means that providing the right facilities is mandatory.

 Where can I get sanitary bins?

Initial Hygiene provides a large range of feminine hygiene waste disposal products as well as a collection service. This ensures that you can dispose of any waste in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner while ensuring that your business remains complaint with UK regulations.

Your sanitary bins will be exchanged every time we visit so that a consistently high level of hygiene is maintained in your bathrooms. We will also provide a full waste transfer certificate.

If you would like more information about current sanitary waste disposal regulations or would like to know more about any of the products we offer, please feel free to contact Initial and we will be more than happy to help.