Less waste and noise in the washroom

The washroom in a school or college is one area where cost-saving waste reduction measures can easily be put into place, explains Trudi Osborne, Marketing Communications Manager of Airdri Ltd.

Washrooms in schools and colleges are busy hubs with a heavy daily footfall, which also makes them costly to maintain. High energy and water consumption not only push up the institution’s bills in tough economic times, but also leave an unenviable environmental footprint.

Lower energy and materials use

Reduced energy and materials consumption are two areas where the greatest savings can be made in facilities management services, according to research from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Investing in effective, long-lasting energy efficient washroom equipment can help educational institutions use less energy and materials and therefore avoid unnecessary waste.

Hand-dryers in washrooms are often disposed of in favour of new models when the motor technology becomes tired, but dramatically improved motor technology means that companies no longer need to constantly invest in new machines or repairs.

This year, Airdri developed the Classic+ MkII, a fast dry hand dryer with a lifespan six times longer than other fast dry hand dryers. Activation testing revealed the life cycle of this new model can provide the washroom services industry with significant commercial advantage, lasting up to six years even when activated up to 650 times a day. With average washroom services contracts lasting from two – five years, it makes sense to install a dryer that will stay the course.

The longevity of equipment helps to save materials from our landfills that could take hundreds of years to break down.

Avoiding electrical waste is also in line with stringent new EU targets set this year under the new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) Directive 2012/19/EU.  New targets will require member states to collect 85% of electronic waste generated from 2019 onwards to encourage more rigid recycling of electrical and electronic equipment and overhaul how organisations handle waste electronic equipment.

Reducing the environmental footprint:

Paper towels not only produce a lot of waste, but also need to be constantly monitored and replaced. Facility managers used to be reluctant to replace paper towels with electronic hand dryers because they were thought to be less effective and take too long to dry hands.

A new generation of high speed hand dryers has dispelled that perception. *There is no longer a need to fell trees and consume energy when extracting water from their pulp to produce paper towels. Warm air hand dryers are a more responsible choice for those concerned with their environment. They also require very little maintenance.

High speed, efficient hand dryers don’t have to be noisy

Schools, colleges and libraries need a quiet, calm environment with as little as possible distraction.  Noisy appliances are not only a nuisance but they affect concentration and can cause stress, according to the World Health Organisation.

There is no reason why washrooms in educational environments should be any different from their surroundings and choosing the right equipment can help recreate the same calm, quiet atmosphere in the washroom.

Until now it has been impossible to combine high speed hand dryers with low noise levels. However, in May 2012, Airdri’s Classic+ Mkll became the first high speed hand dryer to be awarded the Noise Abatement Society’s ‘Quiet Mark’ supporting the company’s commitment to noise level reduction of its high performance dryers.

Save money

When investing in washroom equipment, organisations can now choose products which qualify for the government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme, managed by the Carbon Trust.

Under this scheme, institutions are rewarded for investing in energy saving technologies with an accelerated tax break against the purchase of verified products listed on its Energy Technology Product List.

So, choosing listed products enables companies to invest in energy efficient equipment with less upfront cost, resulting in improved cash flow, lower energy bills and a decrease in Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) payments.

Airdri’s Classic+ MkII has been verified as energy efficient by the Carbon Trust and therefore qualifies for these tax breaks.

www.airdri.com

Published in Building 4 Education – February 2013