In our last blog we talked about one of the vital components that we at Freshbinz Ltd need to do our job cleaning your bins, water.
That got us thinking, what else is vital to our work? The obvious things are the bins themselves. If you didn’t have dirty wheelie bins we wouldn’t have anything to clean.
We’re the first to admit that making wheelie bins interesting is not that easy, but we at Freshbinz Ltd like a challenge so we thought the least we could do would be to find some interesting facts about these uninteresting but vital pieces of household equipment.
So, here goes; to start with what are they made of? Wheelie Bins are made of a plastic called polyethylene which is extremely resistant to cracking and bending. They are also UV resistant which means that they can stand most extremes of weather although we don’t fancy their chances in a hurricane, especially if they were empty!
What about rusting? The answer is they shouldn’t because the metal parts are made from galvanised steel which is another reason that they can put up with all kinds of British weather.
How much rubbish can a wheelie bin hold? In most areas the non-recyclable bin can hold 120 litres and the recycling bin considerably more, which means that you should be able to fit around four full dustbin sacks (if you use them) in the ‘dirty’ bin. Remember to dismantle your rubbish properly, crush cardboard boxes, (even egg boxes) fold newspapers, and crush plastic bottles. All these things mean more space in your bins.
You might be surprised to know that wheelie bins have safety standards, yes really! There is a British Standard, BS EN840. This sets our strict rules around the positioning and shape of the handles, the type of wheels and how they are positioned, brakes, the type of lid and there are even direction blocks which help the wheels steer correctly.
Lastly, are wheelie bins recyclable? After all, surely they should be. Because of the materials used to make them they are very durable, but there comes a time when every wheelie bin has had its day, and the answer is yes, they are recyclable. The type of plastic that they’re made from can be melted down, injection moulded and used for any number of things.
There you have it, a few wheelie bin facts for anyone who’s interested, although we suspect all you really need to know is, when are Freshbinz next coming to clean yours?