How to make the best of Wybone products in your care home environment

29 Jan 2019

When kitting out your care home environment, it’s important that an efficient waste management plan is put into place and that residents feel comfortable in their surroundings. We’ve compiled a resourceful guide to help you get the best results from our range of products.

What sort of bins are suitable for care home environments?

Our clinical waste bins come in a range of sizes with non-porous surfaces, manufactured from metal or plastic, or a hybrid combination of both. The majority of our sackholders are foot pedal operated to prevent the user from coming into contact with the bin, each available with a choice of lid colours to indicate which waste stream needs to be deposited.

As well as our coloured lids at no extra cost, we also have vinyl lettering and magnetic labels that can further improve waste segregation. Our in-house design team can also create bespoke artwork to help make the waste stream visible and easy to understand for staff and residents.If you’re not sure what you need, we offer a waste audit service that can advise you on the best way to achieve high standards and maximise your waste management – get in touch with our team for more information!

As a leading manufacturer of clinical and domestic sackholders, we work closely with the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) to promote and sustain improvements in infection prevention. This allows us to make product improvements where necessary to help health facilities maintain infection control and ensure that waste is dealt with appropriately.

What are the standard colours of healthcare waste?

A waste segregation colour coding scheme ensures compliance with government regulations; black is used for general or domestic waste and yellow with a black stripe is used for offensive waste; these two waste streams are sent to landfill. Orange is used for infectious waste, yellow with no black stripe is used for hazardous waste and violet is used for cytotoxic waste; these waste streams are incinerated if disposed of correctly.

Do you offer a bin suitable for patient rooms?

When kitting out a bedroom or communal area, you want a stylish unit that offers efficient waste collection. An ideal choice is the Torpedo Single Recycling Bin, a single circular recycling bin with a chrome swing top lid to collect your chosen waste stream. The weighted swing lid provides better fire protection and helps to contain unwanted odours. Our most popular colour is silver which gives a subtle sparkle, however we can powder coat these bins in a wide range of colours to suit you.

How can we encourage visitors to dispose of their litter correctly?

In order to keep litter at a minimum at the entrance of your building, we recommend using a hardwearing steel litter bin. The MLB/112 Eco has been purpose designed using efficient and economical manufacturing techniques to enable cost savings that can be passed directly to our customers. This new design includes two large, seamless fold-down apertures to the front and back to maximise litter collection but reduce the footprint, with the same signature cut-corner feature of our standard MLB range.

You can encourage and make recycling easier by implementing recycling bins in your organisation; our Box Cycle Triple is an interchangeable recycling bin with lift off lids, designed to collect three waste streams. This recycling bin can be manufactured from vacuum formed plastic which means it will feature rounded edges to keep the unit safe to use. This recycling bin offers a 180 or 240 litre capacity in three separate compartments, allowing you to choose the correct size based on the volume of waste you expect to collect.

The Eco Cup Recycling Unit is the ideal unit for canteens with vending machines, to allow residents and visitors to dispose of their coffee cups correctly. Manufactured with a galvanised steel rolled circular body and vacuum formed plastic lid, shaped like a takeaway cup designed to collect 100 litres of disposable coffee cups and lids, with an additional smaller aperture to collect up to 3.5 litres of waste liquid.

If you’re looking for an all plastic unit, we have designed the Capsule II Sackholderthat offers a lightweight and durable waste solution, featuring an easy clean frame, removable body and flat surfaces with no voids to make it difficult for bacteria to grow. The fully plastic manufacture means it will be designed with rounded corners and no sharp edges which can help prevent any accidents in your care home.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Section 34) states that sanitary waste should be handled correctly, from collection to disposal. We have a full range of Sanitary Binsto suit any environment – from slimline units that fit comfortably next to toilets to large capacity units that can be placed in changing areas, each powder coated with a yellow base and lid to signify sanitary waste.

What about clinical waste bins for sensitive environments?

We believe that healthcare settings should be prepared for all eventualities – we designed the Mental Health Bin with a foot pedal operated chute system and lockable front opening door to stop any access to the contents and reduce any potential ligature points.

This bin is ideal for clinical settings where added safety and security is required, whilst maintaining a stylish design that fits comfortably in washrooms.

How important are clinical waste bins in healthcare settings?

Disposing of your waste correctly is crucial to infection prevention, health and safety and effective waste management.

A common error amongst most health facilities is bins being placed in the wrong location, which leads to inefficient waste segregation. A waste audit can be carried out to access the environment to improve waste segregation; the facility needs to ensure that there are enough waste bins, that they are in a suitable location, they are clearly marked and that instructions are being followed appropriately.

How can I reduce food waste at the care home?

Why not incorporate this into your Box Cycle unit? We recommend using a silver galvanised steel body if you opt for a food waste stream. If you have a large amount of food waste, we suggest using our Food Waste Bin to solely collect this waste stream. This bin has a 112 litre capacity and features a lift up flap on the lid to contain unwanted odours. Make sure you check with your local council to see if they collect food waste for recycling!

How can planting improve the wellbeing of patients?

Both internal and external planting has proven to have a positive effect on an environment, boosting both productivity and wellbeing. External planting and creating a garden environment has shown to have therapeutic benefits for residents.

Plants can help to remove unhealthy compounds from the air that are discharged from manufactured furnishings, fittings and equipment – meaning that the air will be fresher and healthier.

Fire extinguishers are often fixed to walls, so we decided to design a unit that could store multiple fire extinguishers but still offer a stylish aesthetic. The Plantex Fire Extinguisher Store can comfortably hold two to three fire extinguishers, and has an internal planter liner fitted to the top; ideal for holding multiple small plants.

According to research conducted by horticultural charity Growing Support, gardening and being outdoors is hugely beneficial to older people and residents with disabilities. Gardening gives residents the opportunity to use their fine motor skills which are vital for keeping their independence. They found spending more time outdoors with more fresh air has seen the demeanour and attitudes of residents change.

Our beautiful Galvanised Steel Planters are available in pastel shades or a rustic antique copper that fits comfortably on decking areas or placed on grass to hold multiple plants. Manufactured in square, rectangular and tall sizes from durable galvanised steel that is primed and powder coated to ensure maximum corrosion resistance.

Why not… add some of our quirky garden accessories to bring more life to your garden? Our Flamingo Garden Stakes are a customer favourite and come in a range of vibrant colours. These are available in three sizes to add a splash of fun and style to a plant pot or garden bed.