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In a domestic situation the following items may be deemed as clinical waste:
- Soiled surgical dressings and swabs
- Used syringe needles/cartridges
- Items used to dispose of bodily secretions, including incontinence pads and stoma bags. In some cases, these items may be treated as household waste. This should be clarified by your district nurse/doctor.
How is it collected?
Clinical waste is collected following a referral by the local area health authority. If you require this service or would like further information please call our customer service advisors on 0845 907 2244.
Clinical waste collections are free of charge to householders who need to dispose of medical waste resulting from treatment at home.
We will arrange a first collection within five working days of receiving the written approval from the local area health authority.
The clinical waste collections are carried out once a week by a separate collection crew.
How should it be stored?
It must be stored in yellow clinical waste bags which must be tied or sealed firmly shut before collection.
Sharp instruments such as needles must be placed in a special yellow plastic container called a sharps box.
If your clinical waste falls under the category of landfill, upon referral we will provide you with the appropriate bags; please speak to your district nurse who will be able to help clarify any queries you have.
Needles and syringe removal
We will collect and safely dispose of all discarded/dumped needles and syringes from public places that are under our control.
Please do not attempt to remove them yourself as infectious diseases may be contracted from used needles.
The Pride-line number below may be used to confidentially report anyone disposing of or dumping needles in public.
Contact us and give details of where the needles/syringes are located and the council will ensure they are collected safely.
Pride-line: 0115 850 8383 (24 hours confidential hotline)
Fax: 0115 9316079
email: contactcentre@erewash.gov.uk
Minicom: 0115 931 6056 (for hearing and impaired people – available during normal opening hours)
Related documents
The following document is in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the PDF software for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)
