Bio-Bin Review: A Paper-Based Alternative to Plastic Hazardous Waste Bins
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Labs across the world use hundreds of single-use hazardous waste bins, most of which end up being incinerated. These bins are typically made of 100% virgin plastic, and contribute to waste costs, as well as building up a carbon footprint of their own, from production, to transportation all the way to incineration.
We’re going to take a look at Bio-Bin®, a non-sharps hazardous waste container made from 96% paper based materials. Bio-Bin® claims to reduce your lab’s carbon footprint by weighing less and being transported in flat packs, whilst remaining competitively priced.
The products featured in this review were provided by Bio-Bin® for evaluation at no cost. No payment or other compensation was received. This is an independent review; Bio-Bin® had no editorial control over the content, and both strengths and limitations are discussed.
We have also recorded a full video review of this product, where we walk through what the product is, how it performs, and evaluate the sustainability claims in detail.
What do Bio-Bin® offer?
Bio-Bin® offers a range of paper-based clinical waste containers from 1L all the way to the recently launched 50L bin. All of these come as flat packs, other than the 6L which is specifically designed for serological pipettes. Bio-Bin® provides useful assembly guides and videos on their website, which also take you through sealing the bins both temporarily and permanently.
There are also a range of colours available for different types of waste, as per the table below.
Colour | Type of Waste |
Yellow | Infectious Waste (incineration) |
Orange | Infectious Waste (alternative treatment) |
Tiger Stripe | Offensive Waste |
Purple | Cytotoxic / Cytostatic Waste |
Red | Anatomical Waste |
Blue | Medicinal Waste |
A range of stands are also available to hold the bins of various sizes. These are based on the shapes of letters and Bio-Bin® sent me the Z-Stand, which is specifically designed for the 6L bin. It holds the bin steady and can fit straight into a lab setting. You can see the full range of stands and accessories on the Bio-Bin® website categorised into Small Accessories and Large Accessories.
If you want to see hands-on experience of opening the bins from flat pack and the Z-stand in practice you can watch the full review video.
Reasons to be impressed with Bio-Bin®
The bins are leak-proof
Each bin is designed to withstand a certain amount of fluid from your waste. The Bio-Matts performed exceptionally well at the maximum fluid level, and there were no signs of leakage from any of the bins, even several hours after testing.
The bins are strong
Each bin is designed with a maximum weight, which is typical for what you would expect. Even after adding the maximum weight, the bins held their strength with no signs of weakness.
The bins save space
Space is an important commodity in any lab building. Due to the flat pack design, these bins save on space in your warehouse, stores or in your lab cupboard. They also take up less space during shipment.
The bins save carbon
Most importantly, these bins really do have ‘easy to see’ carbon savings. From the 96% paper based composition, through to the low weight which reduces carbon during transportation and incineration.
If you want to see the full leak proof and strength testing of these bins, make sure to watch the full review video.
Limitations and Trade-Offs
Not suitable for Sharps
The bins are not designed to be suitable for sharps waste, which means that if your lab’s waste is predominantly sharps-based, these bins may not be suitable.
Concerns over Autoclaving
We did find a comment online that said the bins did not perform well after autoclaving. Bio-Bin® does claim the bins are suitable for autoclaving and after reaching out to the science community, several responses noted that they had never encountered any problems. I’d suggest trying your lab's “worst case scenario” with a free sample.
Price
These bins are competitive when it comes to price. We reviewed a few of the distributors and pack size ranges available, and found the following price ranges for these bins, demonstrating the importance of shopping for the best price.
Size | Cheapest per Unit* | Most Expensive per Unit* |
1L | £1.53 | £2.93 |
5L | £1.82 | £3.71 |
30L | £6.90 | £19.40 |
*Prices correct at the time of review
Why this matters
With the large number of plastic single-use bins used in labs, we are increasing our labs' carbon footprints, year after year, without even realising.
Bio-bin® addresses this head on, with a product that performs in the lab exactly as you would expect from plastic alternatives. Plus, cutting the carbon in every step of the process, from materials, transportation and incineration. It is not a change that requires a shift in lab culture or an increased budget. A simple switch that saves space and carbon.
For labs considering this product, I’d recommend watching the full video review and if you are a new customer, you can request a free sample from the Bio-Bin website. Please mention that you heard of Bio-bin® through the Sustainable Steps review to help us track the impact of these reviews.
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