Integrated Sanitary Waste Management to provide comfort to working women
Mumbai, August16, 2013: Cannon Hygiene, part of international facilities services provider OCS Group, now offers the all new Cannon Curve, a complete and innovative solution from Cannon Hygiene, providing all the goodness of the traditional Feminine Hygiene Concept unit Service (FHCS) unit but in a sleeker, stylish brand new shape. The FHCS is the only foolproof way of sanitary waste disposal. Using the FHCS system, sanitary waste can be safely disposed of by hiring hygiene services, which helps in maintaining hygiene and in infection control.
FHCS is a slim discreet rectangular unit is placed in the ladies washroom. The unit is constructed from durable proplyproplene plastic. It has polygiene silver ion technology on the lid, this prevent cross contamination by killing hygiene waste bacteria on impact. The unit is fitted with a stainless steel modesty tray which conceals and minimizes bacterial growth. This unit is fortified with a natural nontoxic germicide which kills 99.999% of bacteria and viruses including Hepatitis B +C and HIV. It is operated by a foot pedal and ensures ease of disposal. The discreet unit exchange service results in a fresh, clean unit replaced every time. This concept unit keeps on collecting sanitary waste disposed by the ladies .The unit has the capacity of collecting up to 80-100 pads depending on the make of the pads used. It is advisable to dispose the pads without wrapping them into any tissue paper or bags. This ensures that the germicide works instantly as well as effectively.
The all new Cannon Curve is available in two shades black and white. It is a unique and exclusive option when touch-free technology is not required. Lifting ring positioned away from waste opening – minimizes user contact and reduces negative perceptions that women associate with existing manually- operated sanitary bins. Its other features are: Easy to use ‘Finger-tip’ control; rotating cap allows access from any angle; Wall mounted – provided free ground clearance for effective floor cleansing; available in Auto and Manual; attractive wraps to compliment sleek interiors; Option of customizing the wrap design; Available in black and white colour.
Mr. Prashant Sule, Managing Director, Cannon Hygiene (India) Pvt. Ltd., said, “Since nearly 30 to 40 percent of India’s workforce is women, collecting and disinfecting feminine sanitary waste is mandatory to maintain clean, infection free and hygienic washrooms. The only solution to achieve this is through foolproof sanitary waste management services like the ones offered by Cannon Hygiene as these services are based in science and their effectiveness is proved by their various certifications and tests conducted on several sanitary bins. Concept unit is a sleek container which can fit easily into the cubicle next to the WC. Ideally that is the only place where a lady gets maximum privacy to change her pads. The all new Cannon Curve is ideal to suit the most swanky washroom and has several easy-to-use features.”
All Cannon concept units are fortified with Activap™- a unique “Chemical free Germicide” to render the waste harmless to humans and safe for our environment. Activap is active in liquid and vapour form. A sheet dipped in activap is placed in the base of a unit, which emits vapours and fills the unit is filled with active vapour; as waste is dropped in the unit, the vapour penetrates around, between, and through the waste. Vapour penetration continues as unit fills, and the result is that microbe levels and odours are controlled and the customer safety is assured. Activap is certified by: Micropathology Ltd of U.K. for efficacy against the virus Hepatitis B and C and HIV; Bodycote laboratories, Canada to prove it is effective for the period of one month. Activap has clearance certificates from: • US Food & Drug Administration (FDA); Flavour and Extract Manufactures Association (FEMA); World Health Organization (WHO); Flavour & Fragrance High Production Volume Chemical Consortia (FFHPVC); US Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Activap is designed to be used in Cannon Hygiene units to sanitize and deodorize waste and help in infection control.
Cannon Hygiene has already unveiled a series of products and practices in feminine sanitary healthcare management services covering entire areas of hygiene services (feminine hygiene, air fresheners, sanitisers, hand cleansing, and hand dryers.
India claims the lowest usage of feminine hygiene products in the world and only 6% of women population uses some sort of hygienic sanitary napkin during their monthly menstruation. Compare this to the 96% rate seen in developed countries, like the United States, and India’s statistic is pitiful. On an average a lady uses around 15,000 sanitary napkins/ tampons during her lifecycle. This is an indication of the overall volume of sanitary waste that is generated. Sanitary waste management therefore today has become an intrinsic part of facilities management. There are a few companies providing sanitary waste management service and the awareness levels on the matter continue to remain low. There are no satisfactory alternative methods of maintaining feminine hygiene for the average Indian woman. As a result, women often endure embarrassment, infection and loss of workdays due to the negative social stigma and discomfort associated with monthly menstruation. Although they are not yet the national standard, sanitary napkins are being perceived as more of a necessity and less of a luxury in India. Urban women make up 20% of the country’s sanitary napkin market. In 2008, it was projected that that number would increase by 17% to 1.2 billion women in 2013. With this predicted population growth, the sanitary napkin market could potentially be valued at as much as US $ 365 million in 2013, up from US $166.1 million in 2008.
Culturally, we in India, are not an open society and talks about the menstrual cycle, feminine hygiene are not encouraged. The conversation on these topics is generally private and in hush – hush tones. At times one is blatantly asked if one does not have better subjects to talk about. The government on the other hand does not have any standard policies on disposal of sanitary waste, nor is there a compulsion to provide a disposal system at the workplace. In many countries it is mandatory to provide these services at the workplace and in public washroom areas. The Central pollution Control Board has however classified sanitary waste as household waste and the laws for disposal of this waste are the same as that of household waste.
Globally, over 40,000 customers trust Cannon Hygiene to support their business and are confident of its service quality. Cannon Hygiene recently achieved triple certification with BSI (British Standards) for quality (ISO 9001:2000), environment (ISO 14001:2004) and Health and Safety (BS OHSAS 18001:2007), which shows commitment to quality and providing services in the safest and most sustainable way possible. Its people are suitably qualified and briefed in their specialist areas and on health and safety. Its customers have given quality ratings through many forms of data capture (inspections, audits, surveys, meetings etc) and indeed by independent verification by accrediting bodies such as SAFEcontractor. Every service is offered from the point of sale through mobilisation and throughout the duration of the contract, it applies the highest standards of account management including agreed service standards, fair pricing, regular reporting and centralised points of contact.
Feminine hygiene care services
Concept unit:
The concept unit (a small plastic container of capacity17.5 Ltrs.) fitted with plastic lid with steel tray is placed in ladies washroom near the commode. It is fitted with foot pedal for hands‐free operation.
Use of Concept Unit:
The user has to press the pedal to lift the tray. The tray opens in such a way that it conceals the waste which is already inside. Hence no lady has to go through the trouble of seeing the other lady’s waste, once the used pad is placed on the tray, the pedal should be released. This closes the flap of steel tray on its own & the pad falls inside.
Installation Procedure:
The concept units are laced with ACTIVAP in our service station half an hour prior to dispatch for installation. The concept units contain our patented germicide ‘ACTIVAP’. This germicide is active in liquid as well as vapour state. That is why it works on every pad which is disposed in the concept unit killing all bacteria & viruses including HIV, Hepatitis B & C .These vapours fall back into the unit after condensing on the steel tray. This germicide is active upto 60 days. The collected units are transported by our own vehicle to location of installation and are placed in the ladies washrooms. The client representative present at the location of the service is advised on the use of the FHCS unit. The record of this service is maintained in our service card and is authenticated by Supervisor/Facility Manager. The photocopy of this service card is attached with invoice as the supporting document. This concept unit keeps on collecting sanitary waste disposed by the ladies .The unit has the capacity of collecting upto 80‐100 pads depending on the make of the pads used. It is advisable to dispose the pads without wrapping them into any tissue paper or bags. This ensures that the germicide works instantly as well as effectively.
Change of Units: At the end of month /15 days, (as per pre‐decided frequency), the whole concept unit is exchanged with another concept unit which is again loaded with Activap. Our well trained uniformed staff carries the whole concept unit in its totality. The units are carried into our specially designed bags. These units can be discreetly carried even through the main reception areas of the offices which do not have separate service entry. The units are collected by our van and transported to our service station.
At Service Station: The waste is removed from the units & packed neatly into the garbage bags. The local municipal authorities visit our service station daily & collect the waste and dispose it as per the Central Pollution Control Board rules.
Washing Procedure: The units are washed under high pressure water jet at 60 psi pressure and using specialised cleaning agents. The units are then rinsed with solution of water and germicide like: 1. BACCILOCID, 2. MICRO QUART, 3. SODIUM HYPO CHLORIDE, 4. OXIVIR, 5. VIREX II 256 Or any other equivalent. The concentration of germicide to water is as per manufacturer’s instruction. The germicide is changed every 4 months to avoid immunity of the bacteria to the chemicals. The units are once again washed with clean water and allowed to dry. After drying they are kept ready for dispatch. Half an hour prior to dispatch they are laced with ACTIVAP.