Exploring Clean and Sustainable School Washrooms

School washrooms play an important role in the health and wellbeing of students, there are other elements that must be considered in the provision, such as sustainability, environmental impact, and the effect of inflation to name a few.

Back in 2013, Scotland’s commissioner for children and young people wrote a review of school’s facilities which highlighted their lack of cleanliness.  This review drew attention to the condition of washrooms not from just a health point of view, but also the psychological effects that poor facilities can have, from bullying to fear of going to the bathroom.

 

Improving student’s washroom experience

We all have an expectation when use a bathroom they will be clean, and paper and soap will be available.  Poor toilet hygiene and a high number of users creates a risk of passing on infection and disease.

From research, students with higher attendance throughout their time in school achieve better exam results, so washrooms need to be clean and hygienic to prevent student absence from picking up a virus whilst using the facilities.

One feedback in the 2013 report from students was a lack of paper in facilities. A mainstay of schools is the mini jumbo dispenser often fitted with a single 150 metre roll.  These dispensers are prone to run outs as there is no dispensing control, which can lead to poor paper availability.  Cleaning staff who are responsible for paper availability will often remove rolls that are nearly finished and replace them with new ones, often meaning that the old rolls are binned with 15-20% worth of paper on the roll.

Northwood’s Raphael VersaTwin™ dispenser holds two rolls of toilet paper, equating to 250 metres of paper.  The rolls are safely held within the dispenser to protect them from nasty contaminants and the VersaTwin™ Infinity Paper system means that only one roll can be used at a time, thus reducing waste, and providing cost savings benefits.

Another issue highlighted in the report was missing or dirty soap.  A common concern with bulk fill dispensers is that when they are refilled there is a risk that bacteria could enter the soap and contaminate it.  Switching to a cartridge type dispenser, which is airtight, maximises hygiene.  And, because each cartridge comes with a new nozzle, there is a reduced risk of germs being able to harbour.

Using high-capacity dispensers can save cleaning staff time, because they don’t need to frequently check the units to monitor paper and soap levels.

 

Opex savings and waste reduction

A recent survey of school leaders in primary and secondary schools by Pearsons found that 59% of respondents said that budgetary pressure is the number one challenge they face today.

When it comes to hand drying, the C fold hand towel is widely used for hand drying, because they are cost effective.  There is a downside to using C fold towels however they don’t dispense one by one and the sheet is presented closed, which means users take more than they need.  Another common issue is that the that towels can get stuck in the dispenser forcing users to reachup inside the unit and grab a handful of towels, which is wasteful. Often the first towel is wet from the previous user, which is unpleasant and unhygienic.

Replacing with a roll towel dispenser is a practical solution. This unit dispenses one flat sheet at a time, ensuring the sheet is provided at an economical length.  Utilising roll towel instead of C fold towels could mean you use five times less paper from improved sheet utilisation.

Choosing a system washroom solution, such as Raphael, provides many benefits. Using controlled dispensing, it maximises paper usage and reduces waste.  In a typical school, there is a potential to save on paper usage impacting paper spend.  There are other benefits of using a high-capacity solution like Raphael fewer deliveries are required, which is better for the environment, and less time is needed to restock storerooms and replenish dispensers.

Northwood provides Raphael dispensers ‘free on loan’, so there is no capital investment to replace existing stock.

 

Sustainable and responsible sourcing

Children are increasingly aware of sustainability and the environment, with school curriculums now teaching students from an early age about climate change.  The Pearson survey found that 9 in 10 schools put actions in place to help protect the planet.

Organisations increasingly want to know about the environmental impact of products, how they are manufactured and distributed.  At Northwood, we are conscious of the ways that our business impacts the environment.  We are an established manufacturer of recycled tissue and towel, we  source and manufacture our FSC certified recycled paper here in the UK, which reduces the miles that products need to travel, helping to minimise our carbon footprint.

With the launch of our new Green Loop initiative for new installations we offer the opportunity to remove and recycle old dispensers resulting in zero waste being sent to landfill.  A recent project we replaced 255 toilet and hand towel dispensers for new Raphael dispensers which resulted in 553kgs of plastic not being sent to landfill.

Furthermore, for every new contract, we donate a tree through the Trees for Cities charity. This charity works with local communities to cultivate lasting change.  Over the past two years, Northwood have donated almost 2000 trees.

If you’d like to hear about how the Raphael system could help your school improve hygiene, save money, and minimise impact on the environment, then get in touch with us today.