Understanding how to correctly dispose of waste is important for creating a hygiene and clean church kitchen – but it’s not as simple as just placing a bin under the sink

Every kitchen commercial and semi-commercial kitchen is responsible for ensuring waste is dealt with in compliance to the law – from food to recycling and the correct disposal of fats and oils, there are many different things to consider when choosing what kind of waste disposal your church needs.

Let’s start with the law
In the UK, the law states that:

• Food waste and rubbish must be removed from food preparation areas as quickly as possible, so try to clean as you go
• Waste containers must always be of suitable construction and kept clean – rinse and refresh as often as you can
• Your food waste bins must be kept closed, and not exposed to open air
• All waste must be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly and hygienic way
• Waste must not be a source of contamination, so keep your bins out of reach from pests

Fortunately, at Steelplan Kitchens, we can ensure you are using the right waste and recycling bins for your kitchen, while keeping compliant with the law.

How do I dispose of food, fats, oil and grease?
We all know that attempting to get rid of fat, oils and grease waste in the sink is never a good idea – not only will it clog up the pipe, but it can cause further issues in the sewers. Instead, we advise scraping, collecting, wiping and emptying.

Simply by installing a waste disposal unit under the sink, or a worktop waste shoot directly next to the dishwasher – ideal for scraping before loading – you can keep all food waste in one place, allowing you to then collect your waste oil in a suitable secure container. By collecting fats, oil and grease waste in air-tight, sealed containers, it can be correctly disposed of by an authorised commercial waste contractor. You could also install a grease trap – a receptacle into which wastewater containing fats, oils or grease flows through before entering the drainage system. In other words – it traps the waste, allowing clear water to escape.

While some semi-commercial kitchens opt for food macerators to dispose of leftover food scraps, these are only designed to chop or grind food into small pieces before washing them into the draining system. We suggest you avoid using them to dispose of fat, oils and grease as it will combine with food in the drain, causing solid builds ups in the system and annoying blockages.

A detergent dosing system is also an excellent way to ensure fats don’t block your drains – equipped with a mechanical timer, these automatically put a drop of detergent into the drain to break down any fat lurking in there.

How do I recycle properly?
For large quantities of general rubbish that can’t be recycled easily, such as tissues, contaminated packaging or polystyrene, you can choose a variety of bins depending on the size of your kitchen and its purpose. For example, if the space is used for a weekly choir meeting, you might only need a small swing bin that can then be emptied into your outside wheelie bin. But if you’re running a daily community café, you might like to consider a larger, more robust 100 litre pedal bin.

When it comes to recycling, there is more than size to consider. Similar to a domestic kitchen, you may need to separate your plastic, cans, glass and paper into different bins. Often featuring colour-coded lids and labelled stickers, recycling bins make it easy for everyone in your kitchen to identify and use the correct bin for each material. But again, the size you need will depend on what your kitchen is predominantly used for.

If you’re concerned about your waste disposal, get in touch with your local council who can make sure you’re doing things properly. Or call Steelplan Kitchens on 0844 809 9186 – we can discuss which options are best for you.