Advice & Guides

If you have any topics you would like us to cover in our Advice and Guides section, please get in touch. In the meantime, we hope our current articles are helpful:

1.  How to buy the right cigarette bin for your outdoor space and save money
2. A Guide to UK Smoke-Free Legislation in the Workplace

How to buy the right cigarette bin for your outdoor space and save money

 Investing in cigarette bins has been a legal necessity for many businesses in the UK since 2006 but that doesn’t mean it needs to be expensive.

Taking time to consider 3 crucial factors will ensure you purchase the right cigarette bin for your business and invest in an effective cigarette waste management solution that is fit for purpose, easy to maintain and long-lasting – a real money saver.

So let’s get started.

1. Space

The size and shape of your outdoor space determines the type of bin you need.

For smaller outdoor smoking area wall-mounted cigarette bins are a good option. Past designs have been quite boxy, but new, more contemporary styles have a much slimmer profile ensuring they sit cleanly against the wall.

Quality wall-mounted cigarette bins also include a slated stub plate which is easy to wipe clean, improving the overall look.

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Take a look at our complete range of wall-mounted cigarette bins

For larger outdoor spaces, free-standing cigarette bins give you the flexibility to move bins according to anticipated use. Alternatively, if there are set entrance and exit pathways within your outdoor space, base-mount them into a set position.

Key features to look out for in quality free standing/base mounted cigarette bins:

•       Elegant safe-spacing designs ;
•       Manufactured in robust, rust-resistant stainless steel, suitable for the UK climate;
•       Protective weather hoods to prevent ash and cigarette butts from being spread around.

FEATURED: Stainless Steel Ash Tower

Take a look at our complete range of free-standing cigarette bins

For extra space-saving solutions, you might also wish to consider ash and litter bin combination for your outdoor space.

Or taking advantage of our multi-buy discounts and buying a number of small bins to position around your smoking area.

2. Maintenance

You’ll get more from your cigarette bin if it is easy to empty, keep clean and look after. Choose a bin that includes a slatted stub plate for cleaner usage and has an integral collection box for easy of use.

Also, look for cigarette bins that have a secure locking system to prevent tampering or damage.

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3. Safety

Always make sure the cigarette bin you select is designed so that even lit cigarettes can be disposed of easily and safely. Look for oxygen restricting designs like this slated stub plate in this wall-mounted bin, or these three holes designed to reduce fire risk in this free-standing bin.

FEATURED:  Heavy Duty Tapered - Ash & Litter Bin Stainless Steel 

Once you have an idea of what style best satisfies your space-saving, maintenance and safety requirements, take a look at other factors like style, colour and advertising spaces.

And don’t forget to check out our  multi-buy discounts.

If you’ve any questions, please email info@bins-direct.com or give us a call on 01360 440066.

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A Guide to UK Smoke-Free Legislation in the Workplace

Last reviewed: July 2016

Smoking has been prohibited by law in virtually all enclosed and substantially enclosed work and public places throughout the United Kingdom since July 2007. Smoke-free legislation in England forms part of the Health Act 2006. Implementation followed the introduction of a similar law in Scotland in 2006 and regulations in Wales and Northern Ireland (April 2007).

For further information on the law in Scotland see the archived Clearing the Air Scotland campaign and Ash Scotland.

The Health Act 2006

Under the Health Act, “substantially enclosed” means premises or structures with a ceiling or roof (including retractable structures such as awnings) and where there are permanent openings, other than windows or doors, which in total are less than half of the area of the walls.

So, for example, bus stops can be required to be smoke-free if the shelter is substantially enclosed. The law also applies to workplace vehicles which are used by more than one person at any time. Full details of the law including the detailed regulations can be accessed at: www.smokefreeengland.co.uk

Exemptions to the Health Act 2006

There are very few exemptions to the law and where they do exist they do not apply to the entirety of the premises but to “designated rooms”.

These include:

• Guest bedrooms in hotels and guest houses and certain rooms in care homes, hospices and prisons.
• Private homes. However, if part of a home is used as a workplace, for example a room set aside for childminding or music lessons, that room must be smokefree. Where work is undertaken solely to provide personal care for a person living in the dwelling, to assist with domestic work or to maintain the building, the private dwelling is not considered to be a workplace and is exempt from the smoke free legislation.
• Places such as open air sports stadia are exempt. However the owners of such premises may choose to implement a smoke free policy. Smoke free Legislation April 2015 14 2 ASH Fact Sheet on smokefree legislation
• Bus stops may be exempt if the shelter is not “substantially enclosed”.
• In England, smoking by actors may be permitted if appropriate for the artistic integrity of the performance. This exemption does not apply to other countries of the United Kingdom.
• Offshore installations, such as oil rigs, may designate a room for smoking.
• Specialist tobacco shops. Exemptions are allowed only for the sampling of cigars or pipe tobacco and are subject to stringent conditions.

Full details can be downloaded here.

Compliance and Enforcement

The owners or managers of premises are required to uphold the law by ensuring that no-one smokes where it is against the law to do so. In order to comply, they must take reasonable steps such as:

• Ensuring that staff, customers, visitors and members of the public are aware that premises and vehicles are legally required to be smoke free;
• Displaying the legally required no-smoking signs at all of the entrances to their buildings and inside their work vehicles;
• Identifying areas inside their premises where smoking might be taking place and displaying additional no-smoking signs, or installing smoke detectors and alarms;
• Including the requirements in their personnel procedures and being prepared to use their disciplinary procedures if necessary.

Offences

Local authorities have the power to enforce the smoke free legislation, although compliance with the law has been high and there has been little need for enforcement measures.

Offences for which individuals can be fined or prosecuted occur when the law is not complied with in the following ways:

• Failure to display no-smoking signs
• Smoking in a smokefree workplace, public place or vehicle
• Failure to prevent smoking in a workplace, public place or vehicle

 Full details about penalties, see Smoke-free (Penalties and Discounted Amounts) Regulations 2007.

For detailed information on Smoke Free Legislation in the UK, please visit ASH.

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