Healthcare waste

This page contains information on 'Domestic clinical waste'. Use the links at the bottom of this page for information on 'Domestic offensive waste' or 'Non-Domestic clinical waste'.

Domestic clinical waste is produced by residents themselves within their own homes. It can consist of:

• Human or animal tissue,
• Blood or other bodily fluids,
• Excretions,
• Drugs or other pharmaceutical products,
• Swabs or dressings,
• Syringes, needles or other sharp instruments,
• Any other healthcare related waste which may cause infection to a person coming into contact with it e.g. incontinence pads produced by someone suffering from an infectious disease.

The best way to dispose of unwanted medicines is by taking them to your local pharmacist.

Example: Incontinence pads

Incontinence pads are classed as clinical waste if the resident producing it from his or her home is suffering from an infectious disease. Non-infectious incontinence pads are domestic offensive waste and should be wrapped thoroughly before being put in the dustbin.

Infectious incontinence pads, as they are clinical waste, must be stored and collected separately from other waste. If the waste was produced during the course of professional home treatment it is the responsibility of the service provider to make suitable arrangements for its collection and disposal, not the resident.

Collections

The council collects clinical waste produced by residents within their own homes. To receive this service, please first contact your healthcare provider (such as GP, nurse or health visitor). They will request that the council start collecting and provide suitable waste containers.

The council's contractor will then contact you to arrange collection times and days.  Any clinical waste collected by this service will be disposed of safely and all records are treated confidentially. Clinical waste must be collected separately and not mixed with other waste placed out for collection by the council or other contractors.

Orange sacks - please note

We cannot collect clinical waste presented for collection in the orange sacks used elsewhere due to the risk of these getting mixed up with the orange recycling sacks used in Wandsworth. Households receiving this service should be supplied with yellow clinical waste sacks with a black stripe ("tiger bags") to avoid this risk. Sharps boxes should be used for items such as syringes.