Recycling Articles : Recycling Clinical Waste

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Clinical waste is a form of waste which denotes a wide variety of substances such as used nappies, sanitary waste, identifiable body parts and medical supplies. Due to the propensity of clinical waste to be either biohazardous or infectious, there are special methods for its disposal. For this reason, be very careful when disposing of needles and syringes and if you find that one cuts you, visit your GP for tests immediately.

Most types of clinical waste that is still within its packaging containers will contain instructions of the proper way to dispose of it, from the manufacturer or doctor. It is important to heed this advice or you could be putting yourself and others at risk. More simple types of chemical waste such as medicine containers and packaging can be recycled in the same way as everything else once they are empty.

It might be a good idea to contact your local council to see if they offer free medical waste collection but if not, many companies such as Abacus will be more than happy to dispose of it and make sure that it is treated in an environmentally responsible way.

Remember that within the UK the handling of medical waste is closely regulated by the Environmental Protection Act, Waste Management Licencing Regulations and the Hazardous Waste regulations. Scotland has it own regulations known as the Special Waste Regulations, so before you think to dispose of medical waste on your own, make sure you check the regulations or contact a professional.

Remember that if toxic or biohazardous waste can often leech into canals and waterways, not only polluting plant and animal life but effecting animals higher up the food chain - such as humans. Most toxic, infections or biohazardous aspects of medical waste need to be properly sterilised and disposed of. However, the more prosaic aspects of medical waste such as medicinal containers are easily recyclable.

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