Clinical Waste Bins

A clinical waste bin is a container used to store healthcare waste before collection. Different containers are designed for different waste streams, including infectious materials, sharps and medicine-contaminated waste.

Clinical waste bins range from small pedal-operated containers and rigid sharps bins to larger wheeled bins that hold sealed clinical waste bags. Colour coding and labelling help identify the correct waste stream and prevent different types of clinical waste from mixing.

What goes in a clinical waste bin depends on the waste classification and the container supplied. Infectious dressings, contaminated PPE, sharps, medicines and anatomical waste may all require different colour-coded bags or rigid containers.

• Blood, blood bags, and bodily fluids
• Sharps – syringes, needles, scalpels, and other sharp instruments
• Swabs, dressings, and bandages
• Sanitary waste
• PPE – disposable gloves, masks, and gowns
• Ozempic and medication injection pens

Clinical waste bins and bags are colour-coded according to the waste stream they hold. Depending on the container, the colour may appear on the bin, lid, label or bag inside it. The examples below follow the system used in England, so you should confirm local arrangements if you’re based elsewhere in the UK.

• Yellow: Infectious waste with medicinal or chemical contamination, using the appropriate bag or container.
• Red: Anatomical waste requiring designated packaging and collection.
• Purple: Cytotoxic and cytostatic waste, with separate rigid containers for relevant sharps or medicines.
• White: Specialist dental amalgam waste containers.
• Orange: Infectious waste without medicinal or chemical contamination, using the appropriate orange-coded bag or container.
• Yellow and black: Non-infectious offensive waste, using the appropriate tiger-striped bag.

Yellow clinical waste bins are used as part of the collection setup for infectious waste that also contains medicines or chemicals. The appropriate container depends on whether the waste is a suitable soft material, a sharp item or another material requiring rigid containment.

Yellow clinical waste bins are available in different sizes to suit where and how the waste is produced:

• Small pedal bins and sack holders for treatment rooms, surgeries and patient-care areas
• Yellow clinical waste bags for suitable soft infectious waste
• 240-litre wheeled bins for securely storing filled bags before collection
• Rigid yellow containers for waste that cannot safely go into a bag

It’s important that waste is correctly classified, placed in the right colour-coded container and stored securely before collection by a registered waste carrier.

An orange clinical waste bin is used as part of a collection setup for infectious waste that does not contain medicines or chemicals. Depending on your site’s requirements, this may be an orange bin or sack holder lined with the correct orange clinical waste bag.

We can arrange suitable containers for treatment rooms, surgeries and other healthcare settings, with separate collections for your orange infectious waste stream.

The exact colour and design of the outer bin will be confirmed during your setup.