Bins & Waste Management Supplies

What is the difference between all of the bags you provide?

At Astral Hygiene we only stock high quality bags, you won’t find cheap alternatives here, part of our mantra and our overall brand is that we stock QUALITY. Quality will never be compromised to offer things at a lower price – that is the way we do things around here………..

We stock a wide range of bags, and I will cover off the black refuse sacks first. The classification of our bags has recently changed, as the way they were previously classified was really confusing, and had been manipulated by manufacturers for a lot of years.

Historically we classified our bags as 180 gauge or 140 gauge etc, and most of our competitors classified their bags in this way. To actually ascertain how a bag should be classified, you have to not only examine the thickness of the bag and ascertain the microns of thickness of the plastic you then have to measure the diameter, length and the width and then weigh it.

The average man on the street, the average customer and the average distributor would have no idea at all how to decide what gauge a black refuse sack is, which is where the manipulation began. A great deal of suppliers would argue that a bag claiming to be a 180 gauge bag which is a very heavy duty bag, is not a 180 gauge, and would argue about quality and price. The formula to decide what gauge a bag actually is being so complex leaves the customer/distributor at a loss to argue what gauge it actually is.

To move away from this argument, we decided to classify our bags to a new industry standard a simple drop test. So our bags are drop tested from 1 metre with 3 different weights. Our Extra Heavy Duty bags are drop tested with 18kg’s from 1 metre, and if there are any perforations of 1mm or more, it fails the drop test. Our Heavy Duty Bags are drop tested to 12kgs, again dropped from 1 metre, and any perforations of over 1mm, they fail and the plastic needs to be made thicker. The third and lightest grade of bag we stock is drop tested to 8kgs from 1 metre to the same standard. These drop tests mean that every customer knows that the bags have been tested to a simple standard and that no manipulation is going on with the bags that we stock. From a supplier perspective, we know what we are buying, and we can be transparent with our customers about what we are selling to them.

We also stock Clear Bags, which are drop tested to 20kgs, which means they are really strong bags, suitable for general waste and recycling waste. These bags are excellent for segregating waste because you can see what’s in them.

We also provide very strong and good quality Pedal Bin Liners, these ones will hold a couple of bricks in terms of strength. These bags are not flimsy, and weak, they are good quality and very durable.

Finally we provide Heavy Duty Swing Bin Liners, which again, are high quality, nor poor quality and will hold a sizeable amount of waste.

Pedal, Square and Swing Bin Liners – what is the difference?

These bin liners are designed to fit bins of different sizes. The Square Liners, fit standard open bins, and the Swing Bin Liners fit a bin with a swinging lid where the rubbish goes, and the Pedal Bin Liners fit the smaller bins that are generally opened by a pedal operated by your foot. All of our liners do what they say they do, i.e the Pedal Bin Liners will fit a Pedal Bin, and the Swing are deep enough to fit a Kitchen Bin with a swinging lid.

Why do commercial kitchens need to use Sack Holders rather than bins?

Commercial kitchens are governed by the Food Standard Agency, who are responsible for the creation of the directives by which environmental health officers are to abide and to assess commercial kitchens by. The ideology behind the Sack Holder is a frame which does not need to be touched to use it.

This frame is made from metal which can be easily cleaned and maintained, and has a metal lid powered by a pedal so that the lid does not have to be lifted by the hands. The pedal means that the bin isn’t contaminated by hands and therefore should in turn contaminate the hands from bacteria which are potentially on it.

As there are no sides to these bins - as they are basically just hanging sacks, this waste solution has less surfaces to become contaminated. Most Environmental Health Officers prefer a sack holder, some are actually alright with a large bin, however in our experience a sack holder is usually preferable.

Do you do outdoor bins?

Yes we do, we have access to a wide range of bins, and can supply ashtray bins, out side bins, and would be happy to talk through your requirements on the phone.

How can I tell what Bin Liners I ordered last time?

Every order placed with us is saved in our database, so if you’d like to know what you ordered from us last time, just give us a call on 01835 824 342.

What is the difference between compostable and biodegradable bags?

Compostable bags actually disintegrate in a controlled amount of time, and become one with the elements, so effectively turn back in to Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen etc. So they entirely disappear. Biodegradable just degrades in to smaller pieces; like Rock becomes Sand, so in essence the bag very much remains in our environment, but just in smaller pieces.