Clinical Waste Management

Clinical waste management is an essential service in healthcare settings to ensure the compliant disposal of waste materials. This service is critical in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protecting the health and safety of patients and healthcare workers. Waste Experts offer a total waste management collection, and disposal service for all clinical waste streams. Our goal is to provide you with a cost effective solution that ensures you remain fully compliant with all relevant clinical waste legislation. Below is a comprehensive list of all of the clinical waste streams we can handle.

• Offensive waste – the most common healthcare waste stream which is non-infectious but may be unpleasant to those who may come into contact with it. Examples include PPE and wastes generated from the care of a non-infectious patient, as well as nappies, incontinence and sanitary waste.

• Pharmaceutical waste – non-hazardous medicines such as tablets, capsules, liquid suspensions, and powders.
• Sharps waste –This includes syringes, single-use metal items, and end-of-life surgical instruments. The presence of infectious organisms, chemical contamination, or a cytotoxic or cytostatic drug determines whether a sharp is hazardous. Sharps may also contain pharmaceutical residues.

• Anatomical waste – any identifiable body part such as limbs, organs and placentas as well as full or partially used blood bags. Also includes pathological and biopsy specimens. Anatomical waste may be hazardous if it has come from an infectious source or been chemically preserved.
• Infectious waste for incineration – waste that is classified as being highly infectious and requires high-temperature incineration due to a secondary contamination, be that medicinal or chemical.
• Infectious waste suitable for alternative treatment – such as PPE, dressings, and IV tubings that have come into contact with infectious bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, phlegm, bile, urine or faeces and is not medicinally or chemically contaminated. This also includes waste generated from the care of a patient diagnosed with any type of communicable disease.

Waste Experts prioritises environmentally friendly methods of disposing of clinical waste, such as through recycling or incineration, to reduce the impact on the environment. This approach also ensures that the clinical waste does not end up in landfills or other inappropriate disposal sites, reducing the risk of exposure to harmful materials.

Overall, clinical waste management is a crucial service that plays a significant role in maintaining a safe and healthy environment for healthcare workers and patients.  Some guidance can be found on the government website. But by partnering with a reputable and responsible provider like Waste Experts, healthcare facilities can rest assured that their clinical waste is being handled in the most appropriate and safe manner.