Among the many institutions that handle waste, schools have an important responsibility when it comes to proper waste management. Keeping the school environment clean is not only critical for sanitary reasons, but also for the productivity of students and teachers.

Your waste management plan should start with identifying the best places for installing a skip bin. You'll most likely need more than one skip—depending on the size of your school.

This is why you should plan where your skips will be installed, and how you'll control access to these areas accordingly.

1. Place the skip in a secure and fenced area

The first step should be to designate an area for each skip bin that you hire. The area you choose should be fenced, secure and well lit at all times. This is because children may decide to play near the skip and expose themselves to potentially harmful waste.

Securing the skip bin area will also make it easier for you to keep the surroundings clean and to have the bin emptied when necessary.

2. Limit who can access the skip 

There's a reason why you should install a fence (or boundary) near your skip bins. Limiting access ensures that only waste management personnel can access the contents of the skip. You should also clearly label the area as a waste disposal site to ensure that no one accidentally stumbles too far.

3. Hire dedicated skips for hazardous waste

If you need to dispose of hazardous waste from the school premises, hire specific skip bins for this purpose. Such skips should have a lockable lid and a lockable fence for access control. Your school may generate lots of hazardous waste in a single day—including biological waste from laboratories, sharps from broken kitchen utensils and chemicals from cleaning agents.

When these items are tossed inside a dedicated skip, they should be secured from access by curious students at all times. You should also have the skip hauled away as soon as possible, as accumulating hazardous waste on-site may turn into a ticking time bomb.

4. Inform students about the importance of safe garbage disposal

As much as you should keep skip bins away from children, make sure they understand why you have this policy in place. Make it engaging by informing them that waste can be dangerous, along with pictures of how garbage is hauled away from the school premises.

By uncovering the curiosity behind your skip bins, children are less likely to become over-adventurous by violating the restrictions that you have in place.

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