Sharps Bin Collection & Disposal Service
Sharps Bins
A sharps bin is essential to ensure any potentially hazardous and infectious waste that could puncture or cut skin is stored and disposed of properly. Organisations that produce sharps waste have a legal and moral obligation to get rid of such waste by following the sharps disposal procedure and arranging compliant collection and disposal.
This means using the correct coloured sharps bin depending on the type of clinical waste. There are different types and sizes of sharps disposal bins available to help any business that needs to dispose of needles, scalpels, syringes, and other sharps waste find an appropriate solution.
Arrange delivery and collection of sharps bins to your business anywhere in the UK with Business Waste. Or for more information about the uses, laws, and disposal methods, check out our ultimate guide to sharps bin collection and disposal.
One-off, daily, weekly, fortnightly, or ad hoc collection
One, five, seven, 11.5 and 22 litres
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Clinical Waste
Get a fast and free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your sharps waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hour
- Any type of sharps waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Types of
sharps bins
All sharps disposal bins are yellow. However, there are a range of different coloured lids that determine the specific type of sharps waste they can store. They’re also available in many different sizes to suit the storage and disposal needs of your organisation – whether you’re a hospital with lots of needles to dispose of daily or a tattoo parlour that only needs weekly removal.
The five main types of sharps bins are defined by their lid colours, which are:
- Yellow-lid sharps bin – for sharp items contaminated with medical waste, such as syringes, but not cytotoxic or cytostatic waste.
- Orange-lid sharps bin – non-pharmaceutical and non-medical sharps waste, like tattoo or piercing needles, knives, and other stationery products.
- Purple-lid sharps bin – for sharps and other items including disposable garments, vials, and patches, which are contaminated with cytotoxic and/or cytostatic waste and residues. This can be hazardous.
- Red-lid sharps bin – used to store and dispose of anatomical sharps waste, such as blood bags.
- Blue-lid sharps bin – not used for sharps waste exactly but blue-lidded bins store things like expired pharmaceuticals, PPE, and other medical waste.
Sharps bin collection services
Business Waste arranges sharps bin collection for hospitals, care homes, dentists, pharmacies, beauty salons, tattoo studios and other organisations across the UK. We collect all sharps bin types through licensed waste carriers, with daily, weekly, fortnightly or one-off collections available.
Before your service starts, we’ll confirm the sharps waste type, bin size, collection point and how often your containers are likely to fill. It’s important to ensure that sharps bins are closed at the marked fill line and stored securely before collection.
You’ll receive Duty of Care paperwork and hazardous waste consignment notes where required. Your business will have a clear record that its sharps waste has been collected, transported and handled through the correct route.
Household sharps collections are often available through local councils or healthcare services. Domestic users should check local arrangements rather than putting needles, syringes or blades in general waste.
Contact us online or call 0800 211 8390 for more information.
Sharps disposal services for businesses
Our commercial sharps disposal service helps healthcare providers, dentists, pharmacies, care homes, veterinary practices, beauty clinics, tattoo studios and any other organisation that produce sharps waste.
The service can include:
- Suitable sharps bins for needles, syringes, blades and other sharp instruments
- Separate containers for infectious, medicinal or cytotoxic and cytostatic sharps
- One-off or scheduled collections from single and multiple sites
- Collection by licensed waste carriers
- Duty of Care paperwork and hazardous waste consignment notes where required
- Delivery to an authorised healthcare waste treatment facility
After collection, the disposal route depends on whether the sharps are contaminated. Some infectious sharps can go through an approved alternative treatment process, while sharps contaminated with medicines or chemicals may require incineration or another permitted treatment route.
Correct segregation and bin selection help make sure each load receives the right treatment.
Why do I need
a sharps bin?
If your business produces any kind of sharps waste, then you need one or more sharps disposal bins to store it safely and securely on your premises. This mostly affects the medical sector as hospitals, care homes, and dentists especially use many needles, scalpels, and syringes daily.
Tattoo parlours, laboratories, and even kitchens may need sharps bins too, due to using and generating waste tattoo and piercing needles, scalpels, and sharp knives. A sharps disposal bin is sealable and made from a durable material that’s hard to pierce, which prevents damage and leaks.
Different sharps bins’ colours also make separating potentially infectious and hazardous waste easy too. This should help reduce the risk of contamination during storage and disposal, which protects human health and the environment.
What can you put
in a sharps bin?
Almost anything considered sharp can go into the appropriate sharps bin. They’re mostly used to store types of clinical waste but may also hold other sharp items such as knives, small glass shards, and bits of sharp metal like staples and wire. Common waste you can put in a sharps bin includes:
- Hypodermic needles
- Syringes
- Scalpels
- Insulin pens
- Medication injection pens
- Tattoo needles
- Piercing needles
- Broken or contaminated glass and plastic
- Scissors and sharp knives
- Pins, staples, and metal wiring
- Razor blades
Arrange delivery of
sharps disposal bins
Whatever colour sharps bin, size, and amount you need, at Business Waste we can help arrange delivery and collection wherever your business is in the UK. Whether you just need a one-off removal of sharps waste or require regular collections, we’ll help you create a sharps waste management plan that works.
You can get one or more of the same or different size and types of sharps bins delivered to your organisation. Then simply fill each one with the correct type of waste and within any weight limits and secure the lid to store safely on your premises.
Arrange collection as a one-off or on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly schedule to suit the amount of waste you generate. A licensed carrier will collect your waste and transport it to a nearby facility for the appropriate legal disposal.
Get a free quote today for the sharps waste bins you need. Complete the below form, contact us online or call 0800 211 8390.
Supporting sharps disposal for an
aesthetics business
Alumina Laser & Skin Ltd provides aesthetic treatments that involve the use of needles and other sharp objects. In this type of environment, safe disposal is essential to protect both staff and clients while maintaining a clean and compliant workspace.
The business produces sharps waste alongside offensive waste such as swabs and dressings from routine treatments. Without the right setup, these materials can pose handling risks and lead to compliance issues.
We introduced a focused solution built around safe sharps management:
- 3-litre sharps unit for the secure containment of used needles
- 45-litre offensive waste container for non-hazardous treatment waste
This provides a clear structure for separating and storing waste safely before collection.
The result is a simple, controlled system that reduces risk and keeps treatment areas clean. Sharps are handled correctly, waste streams are clearly separated, and the business maintains full compliance with its duty of care.
Get a fast and free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your sharps waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hour
- Any type of sharps waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Find the right bin for
your business waste
- All waste types
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Cardboard Waste
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Clinical Waste
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Confidential Waste
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Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR)
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Food Waste
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Garden Waste
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General Waste
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Glass Waste
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Hazardous Waste
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Industrial Waste
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Liquid Waste
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Oil Waste
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Paper Waste
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Plastic Waste
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Sanitary Waste
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WEEE Waste
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1100 litre wheelie bins
The 1100 litre bin is the largest wheelie bin available to store up to 18 bags of waste.
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240 litre wheelie bins
The standard size wheelie bin you have at home that holds three to four bags of waste.
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360 litre wheelie bins
This is the largest two-wheel bin available to store five or six waste bags.
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660 litre wheelie bins
A four-wheel bin suitable for larger volumes of general waste and dry mixed recycling.
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Anatomical waste bags
Red clinical waste bags for organs, body parts, materials contaminated with bodily fluids.
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Balers
Static balers compress recyclable waste into solid bales to save space.
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Battery Bins
A battery bin helps improve recycling rates of used batteries and is a legal requirement for many businesses that sell or supply them.
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Cardboard Balers
If you produce large amounts of cardboard waste then consider a baler
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Clinical infectious waste bags
Orange clinical waste bags are for materials contaminated with infectious waste.
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Clinical waste bags
Clinical waste bags to store medical waste safely before collection and disposal.
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Clinical Waste Bins
Clinical waste bins are suitable containers to store all sorts of medical waste safely.
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Commercial Bin Sizes
Read our helpful guide to commercial bin sizes, dimensions, and measurements
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Commercial waste bags
Commercial waste bags are ideal for various waste types when you can’t use a bin.
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Compactors
Choose from mobile and static compactors for general waste or recyclable rubbish.
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Confidential Waste Bags and Bins
Confidential waste bags provide a secure and flexible way to store sensitive documents before disposal.
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Cytotoxic and cytostatic waste bags
Purple waste bags for waste contaminated with cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines.
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Dental (amalgam) waste bins
White clinical waste bins for dental waste including unwanted and excess amalgam.
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Front end loaders
Large static containers ideal for businesses generating high volumes of waste.
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Highly infectious clinical waste bags
Yellow clinical waste bags for waste contaminated with infectious bodily fluids.
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IBC containers
Store high volumes of liquid waste including chemicals, solvents, and hazardous waste.
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Industrial Waste Bins
Store industrial waste safely on your site before collection and disposal with secure bins and containers.
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Large Commercial Waste Bins
A large bin offers a cost-effective way to store and dispose of commercial waste.
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Metal Balers
Using a metal baler in your business condenses the volume of waste, saving space for efficient storage before it’s sent for recycling
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Non-infectious clinical waste bags
Yellow and black waste bags for non-infectious and non-hazardous waste.
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Office Bins
Different types of general waste and recycling bins for offices in various sizes.
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Paper Balers
Compact paper waste into bales to save space and make regular paper recycling collections easier.
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Plastic Balers
Compact plastic film, packaging, and other suitable plastics into bales for easier storage and recycling collections.
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Rear end loaders
A big commercial waste skip in sizes that can hold up to 160 bags of waste.
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Roll on roll offs
One of the largest containers for business waste that can store up to 440 bags of waste.
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Sanitary Waste Bins
Safely store feminine hygiene products and other sanitary waste with various bin sizes.
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Sharps bins
Use sharps bins with different coloured lids for needles, syringes, scalpels, and knives.
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Skip Hire
Hire a skip for small-scale commercial waste clearance, between 2-12 yard sizes available.
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Skip sizes
Sizes vary from 2 to 12-yard skips that can easily store various waste types and amounts.
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Small wheelie bins
Small two-wheel bins for businesses producing low volumes of waste or with limited space.
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Waste drums
Drums and barrels are ideal to safely store liquid, oil, and hazardous waste for collection.
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Wheelie Bins
Explore a range of two and four-wheel bins for many waste types.
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Wood Bins
A wood bin or skip helps your business segregate and store any type and amount of scrap wood safely.
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Published 16th June 2022 by JackBrayshaw. Last modified 27th July 2026