How to Record a Waste Management Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Waste management might seem straightforward, but poor waste handling is a direct route to pest problems and cross-contamination. This video will train your team on proper waste procedures—from internal bins to external storage—and the personal hygiene requirements that protect food from waste-related contamination.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining why waste management matters for food safety. This isn't just about keeping the kitchen tidy—it's about pest prevention and contamination control.

Refuse and food waste must be handled and disposed of appropriately and frequently. Extra vigilance must be taken to ensure that food does not become cross-contaminated by waste products. This contamination risk is real and immediate: staff handle waste, then handle food or touch surfaces. Every interaction is a potential contamination pathway.

The buildup of kitchen waste—both inside the building and in external waste areas—will attract pests as a ready source of available food. Rodents, flies, and other pests don't distinguish between your carefully stored ingredients and your waste pile. If waste accumulates, pests arrive. Once pests are established, they're difficult and expensive to control.

Film your opening in your kitchen, ideally showing a bin that's being used during service. This immediately connects the concepts to everyday work.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Waste management involves both visual procedures and administrative tracking. The video shows the physical requirements and techniques; documentation handles the monitoring and records.

Record on video:

• The condition requirements for internal bins
• How to use heavy-duty bin liners correctly
• The correct type of bin lid (pedal-operated or no lid)
• The process for tying and securing bags before disposal
• The apron removal and reapplication procedure
• Hand washing after waste handling
• Your external waste area and its maintenance requirements
• What "bins in good condition" actually looks like
• The process for cleaning internal bins

Document in written procedures:

• Your waste contractor schedule and contact details
• The action to take if bins are overflowing (contract review process)
• Your kitchen wastage record sheet and how to complete it
• Cleaning schedule entries for internal bin cleaning
• External waste area cleaning frequency
• Records of pest control visits and findings

The video ensures staff know how to handle waste correctly in the moment. The documentation tracks the administrative side—contractor management, record keeping, and evidence of compliance.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the four key areas of waste management: internal bins, waste handling by staff, external waste areas, and contractor management.

Internal waste bins

Internal waste bins must be in good condition. Damaged bins with cracks, broken lids, or structural problems must be replaced. Damage creates harbourage for pests and makes cleaning impossible.

Bins must be emptied on a regular basis and not allowed to overflow. Overflowing bins mean waste spills onto floors and surfaces, creating contamination and pest attraction. Empty bins proactively—before they're completely full.

Bin lids must be pedal-operated or have no lids at all. This is about hand contact: staff should not be touching bin lids with hands that will then touch food. Pedal operation keeps hands clean. No lid at all (for bins used constantly during service) is acceptable because it avoids the contamination risk of hand-operated lids.

Waste bins must be used with heavy-duty waste bin liners at all times. The liner protects the bin interior from contamination and makes disposal hygienic. Bags must be tied/secured before disposal into external waste bins—no open bags going into external storage.

Waste handling by food handlers

This section is critical for personal hygiene. Food handlers removing waste from the building should remove aprons before leaving the food room, then reapply after re-entering.

Explain the reasoning: the apron protects food from the person wearing it. If that apron goes to the waste area, it picks up contamination from that environment. That contamination then enters the kitchen on the apron. Removing the apron breaks this contamination pathway.

Hands must be washed on re-entry to the food room or food storage areas. After waste handling, staff must wash hands before handling any food, equipment, utensils, or touching work surfaces. This is non-negotiable—waste handling always requires subsequent hand washing.

External waste areas

External waste areas must be maintained and kept clean to avoid problems with pests. A dirty, neglected waste area is an invitation to rodents and flies.

Waste bins must be in good condition with lids that close properly. These lids should be kept closed at all times and not allowed to overflow. Open bins or bins without functioning lids give pests easy access.

Waste must not be stored on the ground. All waste goes in bins. Bags left on the ground are immediately accessible to pests and impossible to keep clean.

External waste areas must be hosed/washed down regularly to avoid food residues building up on ground surfaces. Spills happen during disposal; regular cleaning prevents accumulation.

Contractor frequency

Ensure that waste contractors are removing waste as per the contract. If waste bins are found to be overflowing, then consideration should be given to amending the contract to ensure more frequent visits and/or increasing the number of waste bins.

This is a management responsibility, but staff should know to report overflow issues rather than just working around them. Consistent overflow means the contract doesn't match the business's waste generation.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

Walk through each element showing your actual setup and the correct procedures. Use clear narration throughout so staff understand exactly what they're seeing and why it matters.

Internal bin demonstration

Show your kitchen waste bins with detailed commentary:

"Let me show you our internal waste bins and what good condition looks like."

"This bin is in good condition. Watch me point out the features: no cracks in the body, no rust spots, the surface is smooth and easy to clean. The pedal mechanism—let me press it—opens the lid smoothly. That's important because staff shouldn't need to touch the lid with their hands."

"Why does this matter? If I'm handling food and I have to lift a bin lid with my hand, my hand gets contaminated. Then I touch the food. That's a direct contamination pathway. Pedal operation means my hands stay clean."

Show the liner fitting process in detail:

"I'm fitting a fresh liner now. Notice I'm using a heavy-duty liner, not a thin bag. Heavy-duty liners don't tear when you lift them out, and they don't leak if there's liquid in the waste."

"Watch how I fit it: I'm opening the bag, dropping it into the bin, then folding the edges over the rim of the bin. I fold over about two inches all the way around. This stops the bag from slipping down into the bin during service when people are throwing things in quickly."

"If the bag slips down, waste ends up between the bag and the bin. That contaminates the bin interior and makes the next bag harder to fit properly. Taking ten extra seconds to fit the liner correctly saves cleaning time later."

Demonstrate what "not overflowing" means with specific visual guidance:

"Look at this bin. The waste level is about here—about three inches from the top. This is the point where it should be emptied. Don't wait until waste is at the rim. Don't wait until waste is spilling over the top."

"Why? Because when the bin is this full, the next person to throw something in might cause overflow. And if the bin overflows, waste ends up on the floor. Waste on the floor attracts pests, creates slip hazards, and contaminates the area around the bin."

"The rule is simple: if the bin is approaching full, empty it. Don't think 'I'll get one more thing in there.' Just empty it."

Bag disposal demonstration

Show the complete process for disposing of a waste bag with full narration:

"The bag is full enough to change. Let me show you the complete disposal process."

"Step one: I'm removing my apron. Watch where I'm putting it—I'm hanging it on this hook inside the kitchen. The apron stays here; it doesn't come with me to the waste area."

"Why remove the apron? Because the apron's job is to protect food from me. If I wear my apron to the waste area, it picks up contamination from that environment—bacteria from the bins, possibly contact with the external waste containers or the ground. When I come back wearing that apron, I bring all that contamination into the kitchen and potentially transfer it to food."

"Step two: I'm lifting the bag out of the bin. I'm gripping the folded edges where I know it's clean, and I'm supporting the bottom of the bag as I lift. If the bag is heavy and I don't support it, it might tear."

"Step three: I'm gathering the top of the bag and tying a proper knot. Not just twisting the top, not just holding it closed—a proper tie that won't come undone. An open bag in external storage attracts pests and spills its contents."

Walk to your external waste area with ongoing commentary:

"I'm walking to external storage now. I'm taking the most direct route—I don't want to be carrying waste through food preparation areas any longer than necessary."

"Here's our external waste storage. I'm lifting the lid of the bin—these lids are heavier than internal bins, designed to keep pests out. I'm placing the bag inside, making sure it drops all the way down rather than getting caught on the edge."

"I'm closing the lid properly. Listen for the seal—that's how you know it's properly closed. If the lid won't close because the bin is too full, don't force more waste in. That's a problem that needs reporting to management."

"Now I'm returning to the kitchen. Even though I didn't touch anything obviously dirty, I handled a waste bag and opened an external bin. My hands need washing."

Return to demonstrate hand washing:

"Back in the kitchen. Before I touch anything—before I put my apron back on, before I touch any equipment, before I handle any food—I'm washing my hands."

"Watch the technique: wet hands, soap, lather for at least 20 seconds covering all surfaces including between fingers and under nails, rinse thoroughly, dry with paper towel. This isn't a quick rinse—it's a proper hand wash."

"Only after my hands are washed and dried do I put my apron back on and return to food work. Every time I handle waste, this is the procedure. No exceptions."

External waste area walkthrough

Film your external waste area with detailed explanation:

"This is our waste storage area. Let me show you what a properly maintained external waste area looks like."

"First, look at the bins themselves. They're in good condition—no holes, no cracks, the lids are intact. The wheels on the bottom work properly so we can move them for cleaning and collection."

"The lids close completely. Watch me close this one—it sits flush against the bin body. That seal is what keeps pests out. Rats and mice can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps, and flies will find any opening. A properly closing lid prevents access."

"Look at the ground. It's clean. We wash this area down weekly—more often if there are spills during disposal. Food residues on the ground attract pests just as much as food residues in an open bin. The ground surface needs to be as clean as the bins."

"There's no waste stored on the ground anywhere. Everything is in the bins. If a bag falls off while you're disposing of it, you pick it up and put it in properly. You don't leave it."

"Our bins are collected three times per week by our contractor. That schedule was set based on how much waste we generate. During busy periods like Christmas, we sometimes need additional collections."

Recognising and reporting problems

Show what problems look like so staff can identify and report them:

"Let me show you some problems you might encounter and what to do about them."

"If you see an internal bin like this—with a crack in the body or a broken pedal—it needs replacing. The crack creates a space where bacteria can grow and pests can harbour. The broken pedal means people have to touch the lid. Report this to your manager immediately."

"If you arrive at the external bins and they look like this—overflowing, lids that won't close, bags piled up around the base—don't just pile more waste on top. This is a major pest attraction problem. Report it immediately."

"When you report overflow issues, management will contact the waste contractor. Either we need more frequent collections, or we need additional bins. This isn't something you can fix yourself, but it is something you need to report so it can be fixed."

"If you see evidence of pests around the waste area—droppings, gnaw marks on bin edges, holes in bags—report this immediately. Early pest intervention is much easier than dealing with an established infestation."

Cleaning internal bins

Demonstrate the end-of-shift bin cleaning process:

"At the end of every shift, internal bins need to be emptied and cleaned. Let me show you the process."

"I've already emptied the bag using the procedure I showed earlier. Now I'm looking inside the bin. Even with a liner, there's often some residue—drips that got between the bag and the bin, or splashes on the rim."

"I'm spraying degreaser inside the bin, then wiping it out with paper towel. I'm getting into the bottom corners where liquid might have pooled."

"Now I'm cleaning the outside: the rim where hands might touch, the pedal, the exterior surfaces. These areas get touched constantly during service and need regular cleaning."

"Finally, I'm applying sanitiser to all the surfaces I've cleaned. I'm leaving it for the contact time, then a final wipe."

"This whole process takes about two minutes per bin. It's not optional—bins that aren't cleaned regularly become breeding grounds for bacteria and start to smell. That smell attracts pests."

Hand washing after waste handling

Return to your hand washing station for a detailed demonstration:

"Let me reinforce the hand washing requirement with a full demonstration."

"I've just finished cleaning a bin. My hands have been in contact with waste residue, cleaning chemicals, and contaminated surfaces. Before I touch anything else, I'm washing my hands."

"I'm wetting my hands under running water. I'm applying soap—enough to create a good lather. Now I'm rubbing my hands together, making sure to cover all surfaces: palms, backs of hands, between fingers, under nails, thumbs, wrists."

"I continue for at least 20 seconds. If you're not sure how long that is, sing 'Happy Birthday' in your head twice—that's about 20 seconds."

"Now I'm rinsing thoroughly under running water. All the soap needs to come off, and I'm letting the water run from my wrists down to my fingertips so I'm not recontaminating my hands with water running from my arms."

"I'm drying with paper towel—not a shared cloth towel, which can spread contamination between users. I'm also using the paper towel to turn off the tap so I don't recontaminate my hands by touching the tap I turned on before washing."

"This hand washing procedure applies every time you handle waste. Even if you only touched the outside of a bin bag. Even if it was a 'quick trip' to external storage. Every time, full hand wash, no exceptions."

Dealing with special waste types

Oil and fats:

"Used cooking oil and fat require special handling. Let me show you how we manage this."

"We collect used oil in these dedicated containers—they're clearly labelled for oil only. Never mix oil with other waste. Never pour oil down drains—it causes blockages and environmental damage."

"Our oil collection contractor picks up these containers on a schedule. If a container is nearly full between scheduled pickups, we contact them for an additional collection."

"When transferring oil from the fryer to the collection container, do it carefully to avoid spills. If you do spill oil, clean it up immediately—it's a slip hazard and can attract pests."

Glass waste:

"Broken glass is a safety hazard and a potential food contamination source. Here's how we handle it."

"Glass goes in this dedicated container—never in the regular food waste bin. Why? Because glass mixed with other waste can cut someone handling the bag, and broken glass near food areas is a contamination risk."

"If glass breaks near food: stop what you're doing, remove and discard any food that might be contaminated, clean up the glass carefully using a brush and pan (never your hands), and check the area thoroughly for tiny shards."

"Report all glass breakages so we can verify the area is safe before resuming food prep."

Cardboard and recyclables:

"We separate cardboard and recyclables from food waste. Here's why and how."

"Cardboard from deliveries gets broken down flat and placed in this recycling container. Flattening it makes more efficient use of space and is required by our waste contractor."

"Recyclables go in their designated containers according to our recycling programme. Check the labels if you're not sure which container to use."

"Importantly: recyclables shouldn't be contaminated with food waste. A cardboard box with grease soaking through it isn't recyclable anymore—that goes in general waste."

Scheduling and frequency

Emptying during service:

"During a busy service, bins fill up fast. Let me talk about scheduling emptying runs."

"We don't wait until bins are overflowing to empty them. I assign someone to check bins at set intervals—typically every 30-45 minutes during peak service."

"If a bin is more than two-thirds full, it gets emptied. This prevents overflow and means we're never caught out during a rush."

"The person assigned to bin runs knows: remove apron, take waste out, return, wash hands, replace apron. It's a scheduled task, not an afterthought when bins are already overflowing."

End of shift procedures:

"At the end of every shift, all bins are emptied regardless of how full they are."

"Why? Because waste left overnight attracts pests, creates odours, and means the next shift starts with bins that are already partially full."

"End of shift bin emptying is part of the closing checklist. It's not optional, and it's checked by the closing manager."

Contractor communication

When to escalate:

"Sometimes waste issues need escalating to management or the contractor. Let me explain when."

"If external bins are consistently overflowing before collection day, that's not something you can fix yourself. Report it so management can arrange more frequent collections or additional bins."

"If the external waste area is damaged—a broken bin, a damaged fence, a gate that won't close—report it immediately. These issues affect pest control and security."

"If you notice anything unusual during contractor collections—missed pickups, bins returned damaged, spillages left uncleaned—report it. We need to monitor contractor performance."

Record keeping for waste

The kitchen wastage record:

"We track certain types of waste for monitoring purposes. Let me show you the kitchen wastage record."

"This sheet records food wastage—items discarded due to temperature failures, dropped food, out-of-date products, customer returns. We're not tracking every vegetable peeling, just significant waste events."

"Why track this? It helps identify training needs. If someone is consistently dropping food, they need coaching. If we're regularly discarding out-of-date stock, our ordering or rotation needs review."

"Fill in the record when significant waste events happen: date, what was wasted, why, how much, your name. This information helps us improve our operations."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Address the mistakes that lead to pest problems and contamination.

Mistake 1: Wearing your apron to the waste area. The apron picks up contamination and brings it back to the kitchen. Remove it before leaving, reapply after washing hands on return.

Mistake 2: Skipping hand washing after waste handling. Every waste handling event requires hand washing before returning to food work. There are no exceptions for "quick trips" or "my hands didn't touch anything."

Mistake 3: Letting bins overflow inside the kitchen. Overflow means waste on floors and surfaces. Empty bins before they're completely full, not after waste is already spilling.

Mistake 4: Using thin bin liners. Heavy-duty liners prevent tears and leaks. Thin bags rip, spilling contents and contaminating the bin interior. Use appropriate liners.

Mistake 5: Not tying bags before disposal. Open bags in external storage attract pests and allow contents to blow around. Every bag must be tied securely.

Mistake 6: Leaving external bin lids open. Pests need open access to become a problem. Keep lids closed at all times between disposals.

Mistake 7: Storing waste on the ground. Waste on the ground is immediately accessible to pests and impossible to keep clean. Everything goes in bins.

Mistake 8: Ignoring overflow at external bins. Consistently overflowing external bins means the collection schedule doesn't match waste generation. Report this—don't just work around it by piling waste higher.

Mistake 9: Not cleaning internal bins. Bins must be emptied and cleaned at the end of the day, both internally and externally. A bin that's never cleaned becomes a contamination source itself.

Mistake 10: Forgetting the external waste area in cleaning routines. The ground surface of your waste area needs regular cleaning to prevent food residue buildup. This isn't optional maintenance—it's pest prevention.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core principles of waste management.

Waste is a pest food source. Buildup of waste—anywhere in or around your premises—attracts pests. Remove waste frequently and prevent accumulation.

Waste is a contamination source. Staff who handle waste must wash hands before returning to food work. No exceptions, no shortcuts.

Internal bins must be in good condition, fitted with heavy-duty liners, and emptied before they overflow. Lids should be pedal-operated or removed entirely—not hand-operated.

Food handlers remove aprons before taking waste out and wash hands on return. This breaks the contamination pathway between waste areas and food preparation.

External waste areas must be maintained: bins in good condition with closing lids, no waste on ground, and regular cleaning of the area.

Bags must be tied securely before disposal. No open bags in external storage.

If external bins consistently overflow, it's a contractor issue that needs addressing—more frequent collection or more bins.

Kitchen wastage records track food losses due to accidents and incidents. This has no financial value but helps identify training needs and operational issues.

Waste management is a daily discipline, not a periodic task. Every shift, every disposal, every hand wash—the standards apply every time.