Clinical waste

What is clinical waste?

Clinical waste includes material such as:

used needles
syringes
blades
swabs
soiled medical dressings
blood cultures
medical gowns
stoma bags
catheter waste
other items which contain substances from a person suffering with an infectious disease.

What should I do with this type of waste?

Clinical waste should never be mixed with ordinary rubbish. Dealing with clinical waste requires a dedicated, well-managed system for handling and disposal.

Please speak with your health care provider to find out how to dispose of this waste correctly.

Incontinence pads and sanitary products should be double bagged and placed your black bin for collection.

Why can’t I put clinical waste in the black bin?

Clinical waste is classed as hazardous waste. This means it has the potential to cause actual harm to an individual person, the environment, and the general public.

This type of waste also presents a significant hazard to staff handling these materials. It must be handled in specific controlled ways with specialist equipment and needs to be kept in approved clinical waste bags or bins.

Please refer to the government's dispose of hazardous waste guide to find out more about how to manage hazardous waste correctly.