How to Dispose of Home Blood Test Kits Safely
At-home blood and HIV testing kits are becoming increasingly common in the UK. As an increasing number of people use such kits, it’s also creating a growing sharps waste problem. Thousands of needles and lancets end up in household bins, while the NHS records up to 100,000 needlestick injuries every year.
Improper disposal of home blood testing kits can endanger hospital staff and put waste workers, cleaners, and even family members at risk of injury and exposure to serious bloodborne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. Safe and responsible disposal is vital to protect human and environmental health.
Our clinical waste experts are urging any users of at-home blood test kits to dispose of sharps waste responsibly, and encouraging the healthcare industry to help tackle the growing problem. Learn how to dispose of home blood test kits safely and reduce the risk of injury.
Why can’t you dispose of sharps
in general waste bins?
Throwing away sharps waste with your household general waste presents a huge risk to bin collection workers who may accidentally be pricked by the needles. This can put them at risk of infections such as Hepatitis C and HIV.
Alongside this, general waste bins collected by councils often ends up in landfill or is sent to incinerators. The waste doesn’t go through the specialised handling and treatment required for medical waste, resulting in contamination.
It’s also illegal to dispose of sharps in household waste and is a breach of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If traced back to you, you could be fined or face a penalty.
Around 32% of sharps injuries are linked to disposal-related causes, such as sharps placed in overfull bins or needles being left loose in waste. It might seem harmless to drop a lancelet or a finger-prick needle in your general waste bin, but once your rubbish has been collected, waste handlers are at risk of injury from touching it.
Between 2012 and 2022, there were 2,600 claims for sharps injuries within the NHS, costing around £10.8 million in damages and legal costs. Of these, 1,460 claims came from staff, including cleaners, porters, and maintenance workers, which highlights how improper disposal puts all staff at risk.
Safe ways to dispose
of sharps
The safest way to dispose of sharps, including those from home blood test kits, is to use a yellow sharps bin, available from pharmacies and GP surgeries. These can be returned once they’re full and they’ll be destroyed safely. Some test providers now include return packaging, but this isn’t widely offered yet.
How to reduce
sharps waste
The most effective ways to reduce sharps waste are to:
- Only order testing kits you really need
- Check if your provider offers a take-back or return scheme
- Never recap, flush, or break used needles
- Ask your GP or pharmacy about sharps bin collection services
What changes need to happen?
Alongside this, with the continual rise of home-testing kits, it seems the toll of the plastic used has been largely forgotten.
Our waste collectors have received injuries while handling rubbish bags containing sharps waste. It’s vital that the healthcare industry, including the NHS and private providers, ensure they include clear guidance of how to dispose of used needles safely and, ideally, offer a return solution so this doesn’t continue.
This would help consumers reduce their sharps waste footprint, and limit the number of sharps waste entering landfill, as well as lowering the potential health risks of injury to waste handlers.
Graham Matthews, clinical waste expert at Business Waste
Commercial sharps waste bins
At Business Waste, we can provide sharps waste bins for organisations anywhere in the UK and arrange regular and reliable collections. Get in touch today for a free no-obligation quote and find out how we can help your business manage its sharps waste safely – call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online.
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