A good idea is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it has a lot to do with waste. Such is the consensus behind a new bin cleaning service based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that uses a prototype of a multi-purpose mobile pressure washing truck to sterilize and deodorize both commercial and residential garbage bins and dumpsters in a quick, clean and sustainable manner.

Bin 2 Bin Cleaning, launched on July 1, 2016, was created after Wayne Bennett and Cory Bueckert believed residential and back-lane bins, from rentals to condos, weren’t being cleaned properly like they were in the United Kingdom—Bennett’s homeland. Overseas, mobile wash trucks having been cleaning for about 25 years, long before wheelie bins were introduced in Winnipeg four or five years ago,

“We differ from other companies because we have built our own system, allowing us to recognize the flaws in other systems, says Bennett. “We are capable of accommodating and lifting both residential and commercial garbage containers to allow us to clean the flooring area underneath. Our unit is also compact, which allows the vehicle to fit into tight spaces, downtown areas and narrow back-lanes without blocking traffic or driveways.”

The bin cleaning lifting mechanism, mounted on a Ford F-350 flat deck, pressure washes, sanitizes, sterilizes and deodorizes commercial and industrial dumpsters up to six yards, including all sizes of residential wheelie bins and specially designed organic waste bins used to collect waste in restaurants and hotels.

The machine pressure washes with rotating heads using eight gallons of water at 185 degrees Fahrenheit and 3000 PSI. Dirty water is then filtered several times and sterilized using a UV system. The water is carried back to the holding tank to be recycled and reused, with clean water washing out the next culprit.

The duo spent a year of painstaking research, investigating what companies in the U. S., U.K. and Europe made bin washing machines.

“We travelled to numerous fabricators and contractors until we found someone who helped us design and build the system,” says Bennett, adding, “I believe we’re the only company in Canada who has built a machine capable of doing both residential and commercial bins and dumpsters.”

Besides being environmentally friendly and offering sustainable and affordable solutions to property managers, pest protection is another plus.

“Because we pick up dumpsters onsite, we’re able to move them and surface clean the dumpster pad area,” he notes. “Spillage from food debris and grease, which falls around restaurant dumpsters, for example, attracts vermin. Rodents and flies carry disease, and the smell from dirty dumpster pads also invites them into buildings nearby.”

“There are pressure cleaning companies out there that do surface cleaning, but if you can’t get underneath the dumpster or container, you’re still not getting rid of the smell that attracts pests,” he says. “When you can pick up the bin and completely sterilize and clean the whole pad area, you eradicate the smell and the vermin.”

So far, Bin 2 Bin Cleaning has secured work with two companies, including a waste management company who was impressed with the cost savings of having bins cleaned on site.

“It’s an expensive cost for them because they have to send a truck out with a clean bin wherever the work site is,” says Bennett. “They also have to swap out the bin, take dirty bins back to their branch, which are then placed in the bay yard for workers to clean manually. It’s a dirty job, a smelly job, and from my understanding, it’s not something they really want to do. Workers also use a hand wand, causing germs and bacteria from the dirty water to be sprayed on them.”

Bin maintenance is another cost savings. The walls and floors rot out from the accumulation of waste that builds bacteria, which then eats into the metal walls, leading to repairs.

“Whereas a typical container might last five to seven years, we could potentially extend that life up to 10 to 12 years since it’s washed on a routine maintenance schedule,” adds Bennett.

As it stands, with the first vehicle manufactured from scratch, the men have learned what needs to be adjusted or altered, and plan to build a second truck more dedicated to the commercial dumpster market. For now, client feedback has been positive.

“Last week, we were at a job site that was in the middle of city road work,” says Bennett. “One of the workers called the company who owned the dumpster and asked them to clean the bin because they just couldn’t work. We took an environment that was extremely smelly for those workers to be around and, once we finished, there was no smell left; they were blown away.”