Clinical waste is essentially any form of byproduct from healthcare or medical environments. Some clinical waste is hazardous, while some is less hazardous but still requires careful handling, segregation, and disposal. All clinical waste risks infection, disease, or harm to anyone who contacts it.
There are many different categories of clinical waste, for a comprehensive overview please check out thegovernment website. Below the types of clinical waste are split into the five main types of hazardous and non-hazardous items that would require clinical waste collection.
Hazardous Types of Clinical Waste
Infectious Waste is items contaminated with blood, bodily fluids, or other nasty infectious materials. To prevent infection spread, infectious clinical waste requires special containers and is often incinerated.
Pathological Waste comprises Human tissues, organs, and body parts removed during surgery or autopsy. Again, this type of waste must be incinerated or treated to render it non-infectious.
Sharps Waste comprises objects that can puncture or lacerate the skin, such as needles, syringes, and scalpels. Sharps clinical waste requires secure disposal to prevent injury and infection.
Pharmaceutical Waste includes expired or unused medications and vaccines. These require careful disposal, often through incineration or chemical treatment, to avoid contamination and misuse.
Chemical Waste is disinfectants, solvents, and other chemicals used in medical procedures that require exceptional handling and disposal to prevent environmental harm.
Non Hazardous Types of Clinical Waste
Bandages and dressings that are non-infectious and have not come into contact with blood or other infectious substances are crucial for health and safety. Keeping them far from dangerous materials is also crucial.
General office waste such as paper, cardboard, and packing materials are produced by administrative tasks within clinical workspaces.
Food waste, which includes leftovers from staff canteens and patient meals. Free from dangerous compounds.
Non-contaminated glass and plastic, such as unbroken glass bottles and non-medical containers. These products are generally recyclable and do not contain any dangerous components.
Empty IV bags and tubing that have been washed are clear of potentially dangerous materials. These should be disposed of appropriately to keep the medical environment safe and clean.
All Clinical Waste should be treated as hazardous unless proven otherwise. Nevertheless, not all clinical Waste is hazardous. While much of it poses a risk of infection or injury, some, like offensive or hygiene waste, are non-infectious. Despite this, it is best not to risk it and adhere to government regulations.
Yes, while there is some overlap, the main difference is that hygiene and offensive waste are non-infectious, however unpleasant they may be, while hazardous clinical waste is. The key difference lies in the health risk: clinical waste poses potential health hazards, while hygiene waste does not. This is why stringent clinical waste disposal is needed to prevent health risks.
To uphold compliance and safety practices, you are supposed to use colour-coded clinical waste bags; they come in yellow and green for segregation, handling, and disposal.
Yellow and black striped Bags (tiger bags) are for infectious waste that poses dangerous health risks. These bags are for items such as used dressings, swabs, and personal protective equipment (PPE) contaminated with bodily fluids.
Orange Bags are used to contain less infectious waste that still carries health risks. These bags are used for items contaminated with body fluids, such as gloves, dressings and aprons (excluding contaminated sharps or medications). They mark clinical waste for incineration.
Strict clinical waste management is vital to prevent the spread of infection, and maintain a safe public health environment. Your local clinical waste removal services will require clients to follow good management practices for effective clinical and offensive waste collection as well as hygiene waste removal services. Read the Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 and the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012 to learn more.
First, you will need an area to store your clinical waste. This area should be secure, inaccessible to the public, and well-ventilated, according to UK government regulations.
Secondly, clinical waste should be stored in the correct, colour-coded containers. Then, the filled bins should be transferred to lockable clinical waste wheelie bins for temporary storage.
Lastly, the waste should be collected from a licensed clinical waste disposal firm such as Roupcycle. We’re equipped to handle, transport, and dispose of clinical waste safely and in accordance with UK regulations.
Roupcyle offers a full waste audit. A waste audit will be required for your records and will be required by your local council and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if your business requires it.
The NHS clinical waste policy minimises waste, enhances segregation, and promotes sustainable management practices. It mandates thorough training for waste managers, optimises waste contracts, and encourages the adoption of innovative waste treatment methods to reduce costs and carbon emissions.Click here to read their official strategy.
In a care setting, clinical waste should be disposed of using properly labelled bins and bags. Follow strict guidelines for waste segregation, utilise clinical waste bins, and safely transport waste to designated disposal facilities.
Clinical waste is disposed of through methods such as incineration, autoclaving, or other approved techniques. These processes ensure environmental safety and compliance with health regulations.
Sanitary pads are generally considered hygiene waste rather than clinical waste. They must be disposed of properly to maintain hygiene and avoid causing nuisance. This will be disposed of as offensive waste.
Yellow and orange bags are designated for clinical waste. Yellow and black stipped bags are for offensive waste. Yellow bags are used for biohazardous waste, while orange bags are for infectious materials.
Nappies are typically classified as offensive waste, not clinical waste. They should be disposed of in yellow with black stripped (tiger) bags for offensive waste.
It is crucial to follow proper waste segregation, handling, and disposal methods to prevent the spread of pathogens. Ensure all waste containers are secure, clearly labelled, and compliant with health regulations.
Yellow clinical waste bags are intended for highly infectious waste, such as biohazardous waste. They ensure safe disposal through a higher temperature incineration.
Orange clinical waste bags are used for infectious waste, like items contaminated with body fluids. They allow for safer disposal through methods like autoclaving.
After collection, clinical waste is transported to treatment facilities, where it is either incinerated or treated through methods like autoclaving to ensure safe and compliant disposal.
Sanitary bins should be changed regularly, at least monthly, to maintain hygiene and prevent unpleasant odours.
Orange clinical waste bags, such as gloves, dressing and aprons, are used for waste contaminated with body fluids and could be infectious. Orange bags are used in dentistry, doctors’ practices, healthcare clinic, and funeral directors.
Proper management of clinical waste is essential to prevent infection, protect public health, and ensure environmental safety. Compliance with regulations is vital to maintain safety and hygiene standards.
Yes, you can. We understand that when starting up, running part-time clinic, or not offering clinical treatments, quantities may vary.
We charge a call out fee, price per bag or sharps container plus consignment/ hazardous waste note fee. These collections will be when we local to your area.
As an industry standard, you must have a collection every 6 months. We will not issue a contract prior to any arranged collections and may ask for a yearly consignment note fee to be paid upfront.
Should you require clinical waste disposal, bins, bags, and collection services
Call us on 01252 917070
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We currently cover a great range of towns and areas in and around Surrey, Hampshire & Berkshire for clinical Waste Disposal.
Areas covered include Aldershot, Ascot, Bagshot, Basingstoke, Bracknell, Camberley, Chertsey, Cobham, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet, Guildford, Kingston, Lightwater, Maidenhead, Reading, Slough, Staines-upon-Thames, Sunningdale, Weybridge, Windsor, Winnersh, Woking, Wokingham, Yateley.
We also have partnerships nationwide allowing us to meet your needs wherever you may be located.