Welcome to 
Hi, my name is Laurence Stephenson, “Welcome to Autobincleaning”
This website is dedicated to Bin Cleaners, Bin Cleaning Equipment and the Business of Cleaning Wheeled Bins.
There are five main pages and a contact page on the website. On this page (home) I will give a brief over view of the website.
The next page is the equipment page (ABC Wash System) where you have a choice of three types of bin cleaning equipment. The three types of bin cleaning equipment represent two different markets. Equipment A & B represent the Domestic market and C represents the Commercial market. Each wash system has been designed with these markets in mind.
Happybins Franchise page is the following page. Here you will find a comprehensive franchise business plan, which explains the complexities of running a business, not just a cleaning round. The difference between a business and a cleaning run is as different as a MacDonald’s and a Gourmet Burger bar.
The Business Training Course is for people starting out in the Bin Cleaning business and who require the first important stages of starting a Bin Cleaning business. It’s the preparation for running a successful business.
Finally, the ‘Business for Sale’ section on this website is for those bin cleaners who want to advertise the sale of their existing business or vans.
Overview of Bin Cleaning Equipment
I have looked at many types of bin cleaning equipment, from the ‘do it yourself’ white van man to the sophisticated European models. We have travelled from Aberdeen to France to research bin cleaning equipment.
We have spent many hours with a design engineer, Neil Kernot, discussing bin cleaning equipment. We have spoke, at length, about highly sophisticated models to simple designs; price; what the market is ready for and what it may be ready for in the future.
The final outcome of these discussions was: two models for the Domestic market (System A & B) and, at the moment, one model for the Commercial market (System C).
Two Markets: Domestic vs Commercial
There are two markets: one is the domestic market and the other is the commercial market. The domestic market covers the general public and household wheeled bins. The commercial market consists of businesses wishing to have their wheeled bins cleaned at the work place or a client taking out a contract for private houses. The two categories generally come under two different sizes of bins. The domestic bin is a two wheeled bin (120lt- 360lt) and the commercial can either be a two wheeled bin or a four wheeled bin (120lt - 1280lt).
Although the process of cleaning the bin is the same, the markets and how to tap into them differ hugely.
There are three different options to choose from when thinking about which van systems to go with, these are outlined below.
System A
This bin cleaning wash system is for two wheeled bins only (120lt – 360lt). It is a manually operated system which enables the user to clean two bins at once. A Honda engine supplies the power to a hand held gun. The nozzle used is a double action nozzle using 45 degree and 35 degree angles. The angles give better cleaning power for stubborn stains. System A comes in either pull cord or electric start formats. The dirty water from the bin flows onto a mesh blanket and filters through a further four filtration stages before returning to the water pump – essentially recycling the dirty water. The cleaning action cleans the whole bin inside and out within 35 seconds per bin. At the end of the day an outlet and hose is provided for the operator to drain the water effluent into a mains drain. This system will clean more than 250 bins per day.
System B
System B is similar to system A but with added extras. For example a stop fill unit, which stops the water spilling out once the 400lt tank is full, is standard with this system. There are four lights which light up the back, an electric switch which turns off all the electrics, and a cleaning head inside the tank. There is also an air supply to keep the engine cool during the winter and door stoppers which stop the back doors from closing with the wind. These features are all standard parts of the system.
With system B you also have the choice to upgrade with optional extras such as beacon lights and a heater with an external plug which keeps the van going during cold days (down to -7 degrees).
Van based wash cleaning systems for wheeled bins
All the bin cleaning equipment on this website is van based opposed to trailer based. The reason I have chosen to go with van based is for the cleaning aspect. There are advantages and disadvantages for both kinds of systems i.e. van and trailer (this is subject to personal opinion).
There are only a few regulations for cleaning bins; the environmental agency for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland state that all cleaning must be carried out in a bunded area (enclosed area) and also that the process of cleaning the whole bin, inside and out, must only be done inside a van because it allows the bin to be fully enclosed while being cleaned.
The domestic market is where you will make revenue the quickest. A manual lifting system is able to clean more bins per day than a mechanical system, which is why I prefer to use a manual lifting system for the domestic market, as it is the quickest and most effective way.
The commercial market, although very profitable, takes time to build. You will also need to invest in a machine that can handle the amount of dirt that comes from cleaning four wheeled bins. I have looked at many trailer based hydraulic and electric lifting equipment that is on the market and when I measured the tank and waste collection capacity, most would not be able to handle many more than 20 four wheeled bins per day.
The commercial market is very different from the domestic market, both in terms of equipment and sales. You will need quality cleaning equipment to handle the commercial work that may come your way. System C is the least expensive quality system on the European market. There are many good quality systems in Europe and most start at around £80,000 going up to £220,000.
System C
System C, our commercial system, has taken years to design. Neil Kernot and I have discussed the properties of a commercial system and how it can be manufactured to handle the amount of dirt and grime that comes from four wheeled bins. We are confident that the new commercial system will be able to manage up to 200 bins per day, giving you the most effective profit making machine in the country. Neil Kernot has worked hard to source the most robust materials at the lowest prices, which is why we can offer you a high quality, commercial system.
The ABC wash system page will help you decide which wash system is best suited to your business.
I hope you enjoy browsing this website and if you have any questions please feel free to email laurence@autobincleaning.co.uk