Clinical waste
Dressings, bandages, swabs contaminated with:
- Materials known to cause diseases in humans or other living things.
- Medicines containing a biologically active pharmaceutical agent for example, cytotoxic or cytostatic drugs.
These should be put in a clinical waste bag by the healthcare worker treating you in your home. The healthcare worker should arrange the safe removal of this. Do not put these items in your general rubbish.
Dressings not contaminated can be double wrapped and put in your rubbish bin.
Sharps
This includes syringes, needles, used or expired Epi pens and other sharp instruments used for medical purposes. Never put these in your rubbish or recycling bin.
Before booking your first collection, please make sure the sharps are contained in a sharps box. A sharps box is a specially designed box with a lid that you can get on prescription from a GP or pharmacist.
All collections must be booked in advance, only when you have received your account number. Please remember to book a collection in advance, at least 4 weeks before you require a collection, as there can be a wait time if you try to book when your sharps container is full.
After completing the form, you will receive a clinical waste collection account number within four weeks by e-mail or letter. When you have received it, please call our contractor, PHS Group, on 02920 809 505 to book a collection quoting your new account number.
If you do not receive your account number within four weeks, or if you need to cancel your request, please contact us.
Medicines
Take unwanted or out of date medicines to your local pharmacy. Do not put them in your rubbish bin.
Medicine and medical product packaging
Empty and uncontaminated packaging and containers, including cardboard boxes, paper instructions and clean plastic bottles can be put in your blue lidded mixed recycling bin or clear recycling sacks.
Offensive (hygiene) waste
Non-infectious rubbish including:
- Sanitary products.
- Incontinence pads.
- Stoma bags.
- Catheter waste.
- Home dialysis waste (empty saline or glucose IV bags and tubing).
- Peg or stomach feeding equipment.
These can be double wrapped and put in your rubbish bin or sacks, as long as they are not contaminated with infectious materials and/or cytotoxic or cytostatic drugs.