Waste bins or waste stands? What’s the difference?

Do you measure the ‘running cost’ of your waste bins? This may seem like a silly question, but every bin could be costing you time, wasted plastic and high waste collection costs. If you’re a multinational organisation, you likely have thousands of random waste bins; if these were monitored, it is also likely you would find the collective financial and environmental costs to be very alarming. Having a good waste management system is essential for any business, yet little thought is put into what type of bin we actually use.

At Easi Recycling, we’re often asked if there’s a difference between the traditional waste bin and a waste stand. To answer that question, we’ve outlined the pros and cons of each to help you choose the right waste solution for your business. It all begins with the bin. 

The Traditional Waste Bin

The typical waste bin comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes - some with liners, on wheels, static, lids, colours, etc. But the one thing that most traditional bins have in common is that you cannot see the waste inside.

While it may seem beneficial not to see dirty, smelly mixed rubbish, the truth is that it can have a negative impact. Placing waste in the correct bin is the foundation of the success of your waste management programme.

Often with traditional bins, the waste is mixed, meaning that it’s not correctly separated. However, even if a well-labelled coloured bin is used properly for recycling, black liners are often used. This makes it impossible to distinguish which type of waste stream is inside the bag once it leaves the bin, meaning that when it arrives at the skip, it could be a case of ‘if in doubt, chuck it out’ and any recycling efforts are wasted.

What’s more, most companies only buy one bag type and size. But the problem is that these bags are often oversized in order to fit a number of various sized bins that may be scattered around the workplace. More often than not, the bag also tends to be less than half full due to ‘overlapping’ to help hold the bag in place – meaning that half of your plastic bag liner is used as a ‘holder’ and not for waste storage itself.

Is the solution to not use a liner?

If no bag is used, bins will need to be thoroughly washed and cleaned to remain hygienic. This not only takes more time and effort but can also be costly in cleaning fluids.

That being said, if a traditional waste bin is well labelled for proper segregation at source and the correct colour-coded bags are used, this will create a successful waste management solution for many businesses and ensure that all waste is properly recycled.

Waste stands with bags

Waste stands bring a more modern approach to waste collection, and you’ll often see these in airports, railway stations and manufacturing, where the ‘running cost of every bin is measured’ as well as in the retail, manufacturing and hospitality industry.

Waste stands are cleverly designed so that every bag fits perfectly with no outside container to reduce the fullness of the bag. As the waste isn’t stored inside a container, the inside of the bag can be seen. This allows for quick visual checks to determine whether emptying is required, along with easy inspection of the type of waste inside each bag for recycling or landfill.

They’re also more hygienic as the bag covers the stand and helps to keep it clean and fresh, with all spillage staying inside the bag. Furthermore, waste stands are ideal for uniformity and efficiency because they often accommodate higher volumes of waste, which means less time is required.

Time is money

Once your employees are briefed on the colour coding system of your choice, it allows for quick and easy identification of the type of waste in each bag. Generally, a yellow bag is used for mixed recycling, red for general waste and green for food waste – or, simply choose clear bags for easy visual inspection.

Longopac bag changes in 15 seconds easily