Kitchen activity involves lots of tasks. In as much as all chef duties are specified, they must pay attention to kitchen hygiene and cleanliness. Right from the kitchen manager and the lowest-ranked person in the kitchen, everyone makes use of the waste bin.

When a kitchen or its surroundings is swept, garbage is sent into the bin. When cleaning or deep cleaning is carried out in the work environment, refuse items are put into the dust bin.

Vegetable items deemed not fit for use — are sent into the bin. Certain meat off-cut when used for stocks, are trashed.

Not all materials designated for cooking could be utilized

Below are factors to consider about the waste bin in a kitchen:

Location Of A Kitchen Waste Bin

Work in the kitchen has its challenges, putting equipment in proper locations can ease operational tasks. As for materials provided for work, little parentage will go as garbage.

Where do you place a waste bin in your kitchen? Is it near the work table? Is it close to the cooking spot? No matter how movement takes place within the kitchen, chefs should bear in mind that where a garbage bin is situated within a kitchen is vital for operational purposes.

Depending on the size of the kitchen, a waste bin can be placed in 1, 2, 3, or more locations in the kitchen. One of the areas where a waste bin can be placed should be where a prepping task is often done, allowing easy access to throwing food waste particles or items in it.

Kitchen Hygiene

There are practices within the kitchen that are about kitchen hygiene. For all of these practices, caterers are enjoined to do them. The outward appearance of the bin should be clean at all times. It should be fitted with a plastic bag which allows for easy disposal. The lid should always be on the bin which helps to hold the smell till the disposal moment. When the bin is opened and something is dropped into it, it should be covered immediately.

Having a position or positions where waste bins are situated in and outside the kitchen, makes the working environment neat, it also shows orderliness within the environment.

Separation Of Waste Items

Items for garbage can’t be mixed together, due to recycling purposes. As a result, below are separation patterns:

·   Metal waste items

·   Plastic/nylon waste items

·   Food waste items

·   Paper waste items

Waste Item Disposal Timeline

In the butchery section, due to the items processed in it, they are prone to decay and smell. The workload of the butcher could be huge for the day

Some Other Things To Note:

Liquid items regarded as waste, should not be dropped into the waste bin, this will make the bin heavier and could drip liquid on the floor when the waste plastic bag is lifted out.

Rather, liquid items for waste, depending on how thick it is, water can be added into it, to make it lighter and flushed in the sink, or in a drainage system, within the kitchen, or outside the kitchen.

Summary

The garbage bin within and outside the kitchen is put in place to cover an aspect of a task in the work environment. No matter how it is looked at, the task it stands for is so important.

The task stands for part of the hygiene practices that are carried out in the kitchen. Head chefs inspect waste bins in the work environment, to make sure issues about cleanliness are attended to.

Aside from the kitchen manager, other chefs of lower ranks within the kitchen should always make sure that waste bins in the work environment are taken care of.

Waste bins should be maintained at all times, they should be washed, and cleaned – whenever it is used. If the bin is broken or damaged, information should be passed to the head chef in order to get a replacement. Waste materials should be handled accordingly. Plastic bags used for waste disposal should be made available always as they provide easy handling and disposal of waste materials.

Hygiene inspectors will check for this any time they visit commercial kitchens for hygiene checks.

There is a station outside the kitchen where garbage materials are gathered, such areas should be in order as occasionally, garbage pick-up trucks will arrive to remove waste materials.