Summary: This page focusses on how to safely dispose of clinical and non-clinical waste.
Who’s it for: All staff
Waste is potentially hazardous and can result in injury or infection if not disposed of correctly. All staff are responsible for safely managing and disposing of healthcare waste, and must follow the guidance laid out in this page at all times.
All staff should be trained and aware of waste procedures, from the point of generation to the point of final disposal
Clinical vs. non-clinical waste
You will come across two types of waste in the practice:
- Clinical waste: any waste that consists entirely or partly of human tissue, body fluids and/or drugs. Examples of clinical waste include used swabs, dressings, syringes, needles and other sharp objects.
- Non-clinical waste: general waste such as paper, cardboard, packaging, flowers, glass and tins which have NOT been contaminated with human tissue, body fluids or drugs.
Types of waste container
The diagram below shows which waste container should be used to dispose of each type of waste:
A clinical waste bin should not have a sign or label on it
Other Clinical Waste Containers
💉 To dispose of sharps and glass, a plastic sharps container should be used. For more information, see Safe use and disposal of sharps.
👤 For patient home clinical waste containers, see our page Patient Clinical Waste Bins.
Handling waste
Staff that will be handling clinical waste will receive training on how to do this safely as part of their induction
- When handling waste, appropriate Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn, and Hand hygienemeasures followed
- Waste bins in clinical areas and toilets should be lined and foot-pedal operated with a lid. Always use the foot-operated mechanism to open the lid to prevent hand contamination
- When clinical waste bags are three-quarters full, tie them at the neck and put into the appropriate clinical waste bin
- When handling tied waste bags, only hold the bag by the neck and keep at arm’s length to reduce the risk of injury (incase a sharp item has been inappropriately disposed of in the bag)
- If a waste bag awaiting collection is torn, the torn bag and contents should be placed inside a new waste bag
- Waste bins in other areas (e.g. office) should have a liner, but don't need to have a lid
- Cleaning staff should take all waste to the designated storage areas, where it will be stored safely and in a secure place away from areas of public access
- Clinical waste is collected from the practice weekly, by the waste contractor
- Non-clinical waste is also collected weekly, by the council, on the days shown below:
- After a collection, make sure that you keep documentary evidence to show that the waste has been disposed by a registered waste collection company
Practice | Non-clinical waste collection day |
Penrose Surgery | Monday |
Penrose Maddock Way | Wednesday |
Knight’s Hill Surgery | Monday and Thursday |
Lewisham Medical Centre | Thursday |
Deptford Surgery | Wednesday |
Kingfisher Medical Centre | Thursday |
Kingfisher Surrey Docks | Thursday |
Nightingale Surgery | Thursday |
If you have any questions or concerns with any of these infection control policies, please let your Line Manager know or tell us here
Resources:
- Non-clinical waste collection day GOV.UK
- Department of Health (2015) The Health and Social Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance
- Department of Health (2013) Environment and sustainability Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe management of healthcare waste
- Department of Health (2011) Safe management of healthcare waste Version 2.0: England
- Royal College of Nursing (2014) The management of waste from health, social and personal care RCN guidance