The healthcare sector serves more than 1,000 million meals each year at more than 19,000 sites in the UK. The equivalent of one in five of these meals is thrown away at a cost of £230m a year and generating 121,000 tonnes of wasted food.
To meet the growing demand for clean and efficient food waste collection in the health industry, Leafield Environmental has developed the SteriBin, a unique, easy-to-clean, pedal-operated recycling bin with a no-touch lid and an optional anti-microbial additive which acts as a barrier against germs and bacteria.
The SteriBin was originally designed to meet the cleanliness and infection control regulations of the NHS. The anti-microbial additive has been proven to reduce harmful species of bacteria such as MRSA, E.Coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
Leafield Environmental managing director, Phil Maddox, said: “The healthcare sector is realising that as well as saving money through more-effective food handling, safe and hygienic food waste collection can also be a valuable commodity, rather than just an inconvenient cost.
“The SteriBin is perfect for managing general recycling and food waste because the foot pedal operation means users never need to touch the bin with their hands, making it easier to drop or scrape waste directly into the bin.
“As opportunities increase to divert food waste to sustainable waste technologies such as energy from anaerobic digestion and production of organic fertilisers, waste management costs will begin to fall.”
The single lift lid 90L SteriBin is ideal for food waste and dry recycling at larger sites such as restaurants, canteens and food halls, and the integral wheels and pull-along handle make it easy to move to central collection points. The bin can be dismantled and cleaned thoroughly in just eight minutes from start to finish and the back tilting mechanism pulls down for swift bag changeover. An optional eco-friendly plastic liner is also available for the increasingly popular bag-free alternative. The SteriBin triple can collect up to three different waste streams such as food waste, general waste and mixed recyclables in one compact unit.
The SterBin’s sleek design allows integral labelling and has no hidden holes or crevices where dirt and germs can collect.
