Hand Hygiene on the Route: Cleaning Up When There’s No Sink

On a collection route you handle hundreds of cans and bags before lunch. Leaking bags. Sticky lids. Diapers, pet waste, spoiled food, motor oil someone poured in the recycling. Gloves catch most of it. Not all of it. And when it is time to eat, the nearest sink might be back at the yard, 40 miles away.

This post covers why hand hygiene matters so much on the route, what works when there is no water, and a simple routine you can run from the cab.

Why the route is hard on hands

The CDC lists “after touching garbage” as one of the key times to wash your hands. For a sanitation crew, that is the whole shift.

Trash also carries human waste: diapers, pet waste and worse. The CDC’s advice for anyone handling human waste or sewage is clear. Wash with soap and water right after handling it, and before you eat or drink. Keep your hands away from your face, mouth, eyes and nose. Cover cuts and sores with clean, dry bandages. Wear waterproof gloves.

Then there is grease. Food waste, motor oil and hydraulic fluid from the packer all end up on your gloves and wrists. That matters for the next part.

Why hand sanitizer alone does not cut it

The CDC says soap and water is the best option in most situations. It also says hand sanitizer may not work as well when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Sanitizer can also miss chemicals, which soap and water handle better.

When soap and water are not available, the CDC’s backup is an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. But on a route, your hands are rarely just “a little germy.” They are dirty and often greasy. Sanitizer on top of grime is a weak step.

So the first job is getting the grime off. Then, if you want, you sanitize clean hands. Then you wash for real when you reach a sink.

What to watch for

• Cuts and scrapes on your hands and wrists, especially from torn bags, glass and sharp can edges. Cover them before the shift.
• Glove failures. A torn or soaked-through glove is no glove. Swap it right away.
• Touching your face. Wiping sweat with the back of a glove is a habit worth breaking.
• Cracked, dry skin from harsh cleaners and long hours in wet gloves. Cracks are harder to keep clean.

A no-sink routine for the cab

Keep this kit behind the seat: a roll of shop towels, a waterless hand cleaner, a sanitizing cream and spare gloves.

• Before a break or lunch: pull your gloves off by the cuffs so the outside stays off your skin.
• Get the grime off. Rub a waterless hand cleaner into both hands, working it into the knuckles, between the fingers and around the nails. Scrub, then towel it off. Repeat if your hands are still dirty.
• Sanitize clean hands, if you want. Rub a sanitizer over all surfaces of your hands until it is absorbed.
• Eat, drink or smoke only after that, and only away from the hopper.
• Wash at the first real sink. Soap, water, 20 seconds of scrubbing, rinse and dry.
• End of shift: wash at the yard before you get in your own car. Change out of work clothes if they are soiled.

For step two we make I.C. Antibacterial Waterless Hand Cleaner. It needs no rinse: apply, scrub and towel off. Micro scrubbers lift tar, oil, grease and carbon, and benzalkonium chloride kills 99.99% of germs. It is alcohol-free and fragrance free. It comes in pump bottles for the truck and single-use foil packets for a pocket.

For step three, I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream is an alcohol-free sanitizer that uses benzalkonium chloride. It kills 99.99% of germs while it moisturizes. That helps on hands that already take a beating all day. It is not a substitute for washing, and it goes on clean hands, not greasy ones.

Help the crew do it every day

Supervisors, a few things make this routine stick:

• Stock every truck. A routine with no supplies in the cab is not a routine.
• Mount the bottles. A wall bracket in the cab or on the body keeps the pump where people can reach it and stops it rolling under the seat.
• Build in a stop. If there is a station or a customer site with a sink on the route, make it the lunch stop.
• Keep gloves in two or three sizes on every truck. Gloves that do not fit come off.
• Make first aid easy. Bandages in the kit, and a rule that cuts get covered before the next can.

For the full route kit, including sun, heat and bugs at the landfill, see our hand care page for waste management crews.

FAQ

Is waterless hand cleaner as good as washing with soap and water?

No. Soap and water at a sink is still the best option. A waterless cleaner is for when you cannot get to one. Use it to get the grime off on the route, and wash for real when you reach a sink.

Can I put sanitizer on dirty hands to save time?

It is not a good idea. The CDC says sanitizer may not work as well on visibly dirty or greasy hands. Clean the grime off first, then sanitize.

What should I do about a cut I get on the route?

Stop, clean it as well as you can, and cover it with a clean, dry bandage before you go back to work. Swap in fresh gloves. If it is deep, was caused by a needle or other sharp waste, or gets red and swollen, report it and see a clinician.

Sources

• CDC, About Handwashing (key times include after touching garbage; handwashing steps): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html
• CDC, Hand Sanitizer Guidelines and Recommendations (60% alcohol; dirty, greasy hands; chemicals): https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/hand-sanitizer.html
• CDC, Protecting Workers Handling Human Waste (handwashing, cuts, gloves, face contact): https://www.cdc.gov/global-water-sanitation-hygiene/about/workers_handlingwaste.html
• R&R Lotion product data: I.C. Antibacterial Waterless Hand Cleaner and I.C. Hand Sanitizing Cream Drug Facts (benzalkonium chloride 0.13%, dimethicone 1.5%).