The Ultimate Guide To Sharps Bin Collection and Disposal

As a business owner, you are responsible for ensuring that all waste produced in your facility is safely and securely disposed of. However, this duty is particularly important when dealing with potentially hazardous materials, such as sharps. By definition, ‘sharps’ refers to any materials that could puncture or cut the skin. This could, for example, include needles used in medical practices or tattoo parlours. Sharps bins are also used to dispose of clinical waste materials associated with sharps that may not necessarily be sharp themselves – this could include PPE.

Sharp bins

Sharps bins, therefore, are specially designed to safely store sharps prior to their collection and disposal – ensuring the safety of anybody who may come into contact with them. As they are so important, there are a range of different sharps bins on offer to meet the varied needs of customers.

A variety of businesses and organisations use sharps bins. This could include:

• Nursing and care homes
• Chemists
• Tattoo Parlours
• Pharmacies
• GP practices
• Hospitals
• Healthcare facilities
• Dentist practices
• Laboratories
• Kitchens and culinary facilities
• Schools and educational facilities

Sharps bins come in a variety of sizes, depending upon the amount of waste you dispose of on a daily basis. For example, medical facilities will likely produce high volumes of sharps waste, meaning that their sharps bins tend to be larger to cope with the increased demand. Sharps bins sizes are often measured in Litres and available in different colours and shapes.

Sharps bins are organised by colour to avoid cross-contamination of products and ensure that all waste is safely and securely disposed of.

When putting together your waste disposal plan, it can be hard to determine which sharps bin colouring is best for your business. The most common sharps bin colours are:
Orange-lidded sharps bins. Orange-lidded sharps bins are used to dispose of non-pharmaceutical sharp waste, such as tattoo or piercing needles, knives, stables, and other stationery products.

Yellow-lidded sharps bins. Yellow-lidded sharps bins, sometimes referred to as medical sharps bins, are typically used to dispose of sharps that could have been contaminated with medical waste, such as syringes.

Blue-lidded sharps bins. Blue-lidded sharps bins are not actually used for waste that is considered ‘sharp’, but instead other forms of pharmaceutical/ medical waste such as expired pharmaceuticals and PPE.
Red-lidded sharps bins. Red-lidded sharps bins are used to store anatomical waste, such as blood bags.
Purple-lidded sharps bins. Purple-lidded sharps bins are used to store cytotoxic and cytostatic waste, such as disposable garments, medicinal vials, blister packs and patches.

As sharps bins present a significant health and safety risk to your employees and the general public, you must store them correctly before collection. For example, they should be stored at eye level, so that they cannot be knocked over. Due to this, many companies offer wall-mounted sharps bins. Ensure that you always lock or seal the container after use.

There are various rules and regulations regarding waste disposal in the UK that all business owners must comply with. Examples of sharps bins regulations include:

• Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 and 2015. These regulations dictate that appropriate training should be provided to employees so that they know how to dispose of sharps. Furthermore, sharps must be clearly labelled and stored in secure containers.
• Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005. These regulations dictate that any waste that could be considered hazardous to others or the environment must be stored securely before collection.

Various disposal methods are used to safely and securely deal with sharps waste after collection. This includes:

• Disposal via autoclave. Autoclaves are a form of a pressure chamber, which uses steam and high temperatures to sterilise sharps and medical equipment. The waste can then be compacted and safely disposed of.
• Disposal via incineration. At Business Waste, we have high-temperature incinerators, which are used to dispose of waste whenever appropriate. They operate at a temperature of around 1,100 degrees. This is perhaps the most common method utilised when disposing of sharps bins waste.

Sharps bins must be disposed of when the container is around ¾ full. This reduces the risk of injury or cross-contamination whenever the waste is collected and helps ensure that you comply with all of the appropriate waste collection regulations.
You should not keep sharp waste at your facility for longer than a month. This means, at the very least, you should arrange to work with a company that will provide you with monthly sharps bin collection services.

At Business Waste, we’re committed to providing our customers with the highest quality service across the board – no matter what waste you may be dealing with. When working with us, you’ll never have to worry about how to dispose of sharps bins alone – as you’ll be working with a team of experts with years of industry experience who know exactly how to get the job done.