Waste Types
Below is a helpful waste guide showing the best practise waste segregation and the relevant European Waste Management Catalogue (EWC) codes to describe the waste.Offensive Waste
‘Offensive waste’ is non-clinical waste that’s non-infectious and does not contain pharmaceutical or chemical substances, but may be unpleasant to anyone who comes into contact with it. Should not be placed in the municiple waste stream. This waste stream can be recycled, incinerated or deep landfilled. The bags used are Tiger bags – yellow and black striped.
EWC Codes: 18 01 04 and 20 01 99.
Examples are sanitary, nappy waste.
Clinical Highly Infectious – Hazardous
The yellow clinical highly infectious waste stream is hazardous and is for medicinally contaminated waste. This waste stream requires incineration.
EWC Codes: Human; 18 01 03* | Animal; 18 02 02*
Examples are sharps contaminated by medicinal products and bodily fluids or garments contaminated with infectious body fluids.
Clinical Infectious
The orange bag clinical infectious waste stream is for hazardous and non-hazardous waste from patients with known or suspected infectious diseases.
EWC Codes: Human; 18 01 01 and 18 01 03* | Animal; 18 02 01 and 18 02 02*.
Examples are dressings or swabs from known infectious sources, PPE.
Medicinal Sharps
This type is non hazardous medicines or denatured drugs that pose no risk of containing cytotoxic or cytostatic properties. This waste stream requires disposal by incineration. Blue lidded containers
EWC Codes: Human; 18 01 09 | Animal; 18 02 02.
Examples are tablets in containers, inhaler cartridges, liquids in bottles
Cytotoxic and Cytostatic
Purple lidded containers – hazardous waste for medicines containing the above.
EWC Codes: Human; 18 01 08* | Animal; 18 02 07*.
Examples are chemotherapy related drugs or botox, fillers, partially used medicine containers.
Non Medicinal Sharps
This type is non hazardous and for the disposal of sharps excluding those contaminated with medicinal products and their residues.
EWC codes: 18 01 01 / 18 01 09 / 18 02 01 / 18 02 02 / 18 02 08.
Examples are blood test sharps, podiatory, diabetic needles.
Dental (Amalgam and Gypsum)
Hazardous amalgam waste must be stored safely to prevent exposure to toxic mercury vapours. Non-hazardous gypsum waste is either treated or disposed into a separate landfill cell.
EWC Codes: Amalgam; 18 01 10* | Gypsum; 18 01 04.
Examples are amalgam from dental fillings, gypsum from dental moulds.
https://bhygienic.co.uk/clinical-medical-waste/
