The effective handling of medical waste is a critical component for any company. Separation, storage, and medical waste disposal are subject to severe rules in the UK.
Waste from medical procedures must be disposed of in a manner distinct from regular waste. This is done to prevent the spread of illness. As well as to shield both the general public and the environment from any potential damage that may be caused by the waste.
What Exactly is Medical Waste?
In the UK, medical waste is divided into the following four categories:
- Infectious
- Sharps
- Anatomical
- Medicine (redundant)
Each sort of waste must be kept in its own dedicated bin, which is subsequently collected regularly by waste management firms and disposed of following the requirements of the applicable legislation.
Infectious Waste
In hospitals, infectious waste is the most prevalent kind of medical waste, and personal protective equipment (PPE) is included in this category. PPE is shorthand for personal protective equipment. Which refers to any piece of gear worn by an employee that improves their chances of staying healthy and safe while on the job. In the medical field, PPE refers to things like gloves, aprons, gowns, facemasks, respirators, and eye protection.
In addition to personal protective equipment, infectious waste may consist of anything that has been tainted with blood, pus, saliva, mucus, faeces, urine, vomit, skin, or tissue. Any waste that is in any way connected to COVID-19 is automatically included in this category. Infectious waste is packed in thick plastic bags that are specifically designated for the purpose. And these bags are then sealed before being dumped in enormous plastic bins. A medical waste management organisation comes and collects the contents of these lockable bins regularly.
Infectious waste that is hard to treat is incinerated, while infectious waste that is easier to treat is either incinerated as well or subjected to steam sterilisation in an autoclave.
Sharps
Sharps waste is a type of biomedical waste that comprises any item that can pierce or lacerate the skin, as well as any object that has been used to puncture or lacerate the skin. Medical sharps disposal contains, but is not limited to the following:
- Needles for hypodermic injection
- Fragments of tooth enamel or bone
- Pins
- Clamps
- Metal wire
- Scissors
- Disposable scalpels and blades
- Knives
Sharp waste poses a significant danger to anybody who handles. It since it may easily penetrate the skin, and for this reason. It is kept in plastic bins. Sharp waste, in addition to causing physical injury, has the potential to spread illness owing to the nature of the materials involved. For instance, traces of blood may be present on things such as hypodermic needles since they were used to draw blood.
In addition to medical facilities and general practitioners’ offices, other common sources of sharps waste include nursing homes, establishments for body piercing and tattooing, educational institutions, the beauty and cosmetics business, the food industry, and the apparel industry.
When discarding used sharps in a medical environment. It is common practice to drop them straight into a yellow plastic sharps container that is clearly labelled with the British safety number 7320 and the UN 3291. When sharps bins have been used up to three-quarters of their capacity. The containers are retired from usage and then sealed before being collected. The waste from sharps instruments is typically burned to prevent the spread of infection. However, some medical facilities sort the sharps into infected and non-infectious waste, incinerating just the infectious sharps.
Anatomical Waste
Anatomical waste is a kind of waste that is exclusive to the medical industry and consists of human or animal body parts, organs, and blood, in addition to extensively wet dressings. The remaining waste is gathered in plastic bags. Which are then deposited inside plastic containers, which are often lockable wheelie bins. The body parts are preserved in units that are kept in a secure refrigerator environment.
The burning of anatomical waste takes place at a facility that has been appropriately authorised. It is delivered there in specially designed containers that have been certified by the UN.
Pharmaceutical Waste
Last but not least, there is the type of waste known as surplus medication. Which is further divided into two subcategories: hazardous and non-hazardous. The non-hazardous medication does not have any cytotoxic or cytostatic chemicals in it, but the hazardous medication does.
A sharps bin made of yellow plastic and properly labelled is often used for the collection of medicine that contains cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines. Every healthcare facility handles outdated or unused medication in a somewhat different way.
Where should the Waste from Medical Procedures be Stored?
Your clinical waste bag or rigid bin should be placed in a dedicated secured room or cabinet after it has been filled to three-quarters of its capacity. This should be done so that it is out of the way of all patients, customers, and employees who enter your office.
We provide wheelie bins that can be locked from the outside. If your clinical waste is kept in an outdoor storage area. This will ensure that your waste is protected from mice and other vermin.
Conclusion
Trikon Clinical Waste offers a clinical waste disposal service that is unrivalled in the market. In addition to specialised items that guarantee secure and lawful storage of clinical waste.
After our fully trained experts have finished conducting a site compliance assessment to identify and classify the waste that your company generates, they will build a customised medical waste collection plan that is geared to your facility’s unique needs. This plan provides guidance on the correct segregation and disposal of your clinical waste and contains such guidance.
Learn more about our reliable service for collecting clinical waste by reading about our goods and services in the next section, or get in touch with an Initial specialist right now to schedule a free consultation.
