Together with the Norwegian Government Security and Service Organisation (DSS), Compax Solutions has performed a successfull pilot test of Compax One™. The use of plastic bags was reduced by over 90% and DSS sees the potential for more savings as Compax One™ contributes in changing the way they work.
The Norwegian Government Security and Service Organisation (DSS) provides security, facility, HR and digital services to the ministries and the Prime Minister's Office. Cleaning and waste management are an important part of the delivery DSS provides for its customers.
DSS is established in the Government Quarter and has overall responsibility for cleaning over 20 different buildings. DSS has long focused on finding smart solutions to make everyday life better, easier and more efficient for the cleaners.
"We have been looking for a solution for compressing paper towels in washrooms for several years, without finding this. When we saw Compax One ™, we thought this was the solution that could help us improve our cleaning and waste management routines."
- Paulo Ruvina
DSS seeks innovative solutions in cleaning and facility management. One area is to reorganize waste management.
Today, this job is distributed between all cleaners, but DSS looks at the possibility that one unit will be responsible for all waste management in the building.
Such a solution offers many benefits.
- If we remove the large waste bags from the cleaning trolley, we can for example use this vacant space for an electric mop, Paulo explains enthusiastically.
What Paulo and his colleagues hadn't thought of was all the bins in the washrooms that they change bags on up to several times a day.
- We then realized that the cleaners still had to have waste bags on the trolley in order to dispose the bags from the washrooms, says Paulo.
In order to put the plan of better use of the cleaning trolley to life, DSS began several years ago to search for solutions for compressing paper towels.
- We carefully watched the cleaning fairs we attended, Paulo says, remembering that he thought:
- There are compactors outdoors, so someone have to make this.
When he almost by accident discovered Compax One ™, it didn't take many minutes before Paulo called Compax Solutions so DSS could test the compactor.
DSS wanted to test Compax One ™ in three different washrooms.
The first two are located right next to an auditorium and therefore there is very high traffic for limited periods. To handle this traffic, DSS has installed two 50 liter waste bins in each of the washrooms. For these bins, the waste bag is changed up to 2 times a day.
The last washroom is located in an office area. Normally, a smaller waste bin is installed, where the bag is changed daily.
Compax One ™ is a paper towel compactor that reduces the waste volume by up to 95%. This way, each plastic bag can hold up to 10 times more waste, which drastically reduces the disposal frequency.
Compax One ™ regularly compresses the waste, meaning you will change the bag much less frequently. Among other advantages, this means that one can work more efficiently. It also opens up the possibility of reorganizing waste management as DSS wishes to do.
By avoiding unnecessary bag changes in the waste bins, costs associated with plastic bags and waste management are reduced. The washrooms also become nicer and more hygienic, in addition to reducing the climate impact by reducing plastic bags and unnecessary transport of waste to the next step in the value chain.
Together with DSS, Compax replaced the five traditional waste bins with three Compax One ™. These were tested over a period of 4 weeks. With ordinary waste bins, DSS has estimated that they would change 160 bags in these three washrooms during a similar time period.
With Compax One ™, this number was reduced to 13 bags, which is a reduction of 92%. Over the course of a year, this will be a change of 1,700 fewer bags only in these three restrooms alone.
"Compax One allows me to avoid a lot of bending and bag changes, which in turn saves me many trips to the waste room."
- Hanne Wilhelmsen, renholder hos DSS
By reducing the frequency at which the bins in the washrooms are changed by more than 90%, you will achieve savings related to plastic bags and the time spent on waste management. In addition, Paulo envisions that there may be savings in changing the way they work today.
- When the cleaners do not have to handle waste, they will be able to use this time to further improve the quality of the cleaning, especially since they can use the trolley for new equipment instead of waste.
DSS sees that there are opportunities for savings by installing Compax One ™ in several of the buildings they operate. However, it is not just time and money that matters.
- Time is one thing, but what cannot be measured is that the cleaners experience less stress, that their trolley becomes lighter and that the working life in general becomes easier, says Paulo, and concludes with:
"The best approval is that our cleaners already miss Compax One™."
- Paulo Ruvina
