We offer a domestic hazardous clinical waste collection for residents who self-administer treatment . If treatment is given by a medical professional e.g. a nurse, it is their responsibility to dispose of all clinical waste.
Clinical waste falls into two broad categories:
Non-hazardous/offensive waste is waste that can be collected via your normal refuse collections:
This waste can be offensive in appearance and smell. Appropriate precautions need to be taken as there is a residual health risk. Provided it is wrapped and free from excess liquid the risk is low.
Therefore, this waste is both non-infectious and non-hazardous and does not require specialist treatment or disposal, so disposal through your rubbish bin is permitted.
Non-hazardous/offensive waste is:
- Sanitary waste
- Nappies
- Plasters generated by personal use – not by a health care professional
- Incontinence pads
- Catheter and stoma bags
- Non-infectious dressings
- Vomit and soiled human bedding from a non-infectious source
- Nasal secretions, sputum, condoms and urine
- Medical disposable equipment such as gowns, face masks, gloves etc
- And other waste produced from human hygiene
Hazardous clinical waste is waste that needs to be collected and disposed of separately:
- Waste from infectious disease cases
- Waste from wound infections and other acquired infections
- Human hygiene products from infectious cases and all related soiled surgical dressing
- Swabs and other similar waste
- Sharps – these are items that could cause cuts or puncture wounds, including: Hypodermic Needles, Syringes with needles attached, Scalpels and other blades. This includes sharps that are self-administered.
Maldon District Council does not supply sharps boxes, these will need to be purchased from your GP or supplied via a prescription. Please note hypodermic needles that are not contained within a proper sharps box will not be collected. Waste produced by treatment administered by a medical professional becomes their responsibility to dispose of.
To apply for this service please download this form and ask your GP to complete it. Then fill in our Clinical waste collection form and upload your completed GP form (you can do this by scanning the document in, or taking a picture of the completed form). When we have processed your details, we will pass the information on to our contractor who will contact you to arrange collection.