Medical Waste
Medical waste covers any type of clinical waste produced in a medical setting. This includes materials created in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, GP practices, and other healthcare facilities. All medical waste must be stored, removed, and disposed of safely and in line with relevant regulations to protect human health and the environment.
At Business Waste, we provide free bins to store medical waste securely on your premises – you just pay for its collection. Our experienced experts can offer their advice and help you put together an effective plan for medical waste collection. Discover a wide range of solutions and services to help your medical organisation dispose of your waste.
Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today for a free quote for medical waste collection anywhere in the UK.
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Get a fast FREE quote for disposal of medical waste
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of medical waste
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Medical waste collection
Every healthcare facility must arrange medical waste collection by licensed waste carriers to get rid of it safely and legally. Reliable medical waste removal ensures all such materials leave your premises regularly. This avoids hazardous and infectious waste building up and putting human health at risk.
For smooth and efficient medical waste collection we provide free bins, bags, and medical waste containers. We’ll deliver these for free, wherever you are in the UK, and you simply pay for collection. Fill each one with the relevant type of materials and place it at the agreed pick-up point.
Medical waste collection is possible on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly schedule. Regular collections suit organisations that produce high volumes of medical waste and need the likes of hazardous and infectious waste removed frequently. This removes potentially dangerous waste from your premises to keep it safe and hygienic.
Our expert team can advise on the best medical waste collection schedule based on your operations if you’re unsure. You can also arrange delivery and collection of different medical waste bins on regularities that suit, such as having infectious waste collected daily but offensive waste removed once a week.
Medical waste disposal
Disposal methods for medical waste depend on its type. Incineration is common with high temperatures applied to the materials to destroy it, including all its hazardous elements. Another option for the disposal of medical waste is through thermal disinfection, which renders it non-hazardous for recycling and recovery. This is more common with medical dressings, swabs, and gowns.
Disposing of medical waste must be done in line with various regulations and legislation in the UK. These are in place to ensure such materials are disposed of safely without endangering human health or the environment. Important regulations that govern the disposal of medical waste include the:
- Environmental Protection Act 1990
- Controlled Waste Regulations 2012
- Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005
Your organisation must arrange the removal of any medical waste by licensed waste carriers – whether it’s used PPE, sharps, anatomical, sanitary, or any other waste type. This helps ensure your medical waste is disposed of safely at an appropriate facility. Disposing of medical waste any other way could result in a fine and negatively impact the environment.
What is medical waste?
Medical waste is any kind of waste produced in a healthcare setting that could be contaminated by blood, bodily fluids, medicines, or other infectious materials. This includes sharps, PPE, blood bags and body parts.
Most waste produced in a medical setting such as a hospital, GP surgery, or dental practice, classes as medical waste. Such materials must be stored separately from other rubbish and disposed of properly. This avoids the risk of contamination and exposure to potentially hazardous and infectious materials.
Medical waste examples include:
- Sharps – needles, syringes, and scalpels
- Anatomical waste – body parts and blood
- PPE – gloves, gowns, and masks
- Medicines – expired pharmaceutical drugs, antibiotics, and vials
- Offensive waste – nappies, incontinence pads, non-infectious contaminated PPE
Medical waste management services
Efficient medical waste management ensures all sorts of healthcare waste you produce is stored, removed, and disposed of responsibly. It involves having appropriate and the best sizes of bins, bags, or containers close to the point of production, regular collection of medical waste, and safe, legal, and effective disposal.
Good medical waste management reduces the risk of harm to humans and the environment. We work with national and local medical waste companies to deliver a wide range of services that help your healthcare organisation. Experts can assess your operations and advise on suitable and cost-effective ways to manage your medical waste safely.
This includes waste audits, plans, and consultancy to deliver the best possible solution for your waste medical materials. Find out more about some of our medical waste services:
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Medical waste audit
An assessment of the types and volumes of medical waste your organisation produces.
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Management plan
Set a strategy with expert insight to reduce, store, and dispose of all your medical waste.
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Medical waste consultancy
Access expertise and advice to manage your medical waste efficiently and safely.
Arrange medical waste removal
Organise regular medical waste removal from anywhere in the UK with Business Waste. Daily, weekly, and fortnightly collections are available to suit your needs. We provide free bins to separate and store medical waste of any type and volume with no delivery or rental fees – you only pay for collection.
Our nationwide network means we can offer medical waste removal anywhere in the country. Working with local and national medical waste companies helps us deliver a tailored cost-effective and efficient solution based on your specific requirements. There’s no paying for bins or collections you don’t need.
Speak to one of our friendly and expert team for help putting together a waste management plan for all the waste your medical facility creates. They’ll provide a free no-obligation quote too. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online to arrange medical waste removal, get your free quote, and ask any questions.
Medical waste FAQs
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What’s the difference between medical and clinical waste?
Medical waste is a type of clinical waste that covers such refuse produced in purely medical settings. Clinical waste is a broader term, which includes the likes of sharps and other waste created in non-medical businesses such as tattoo parlours and beauty salons. For rubbish to class as medical waste, it must be from a medical setting (like a hospital, doctor’s surgery, or healthcare centre).
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What happens to medical waste?
After its production and removal from a healthcare site, medical waste is moved to a relevant waste management facility nearby. Most medical waste is incinerated, which turns them into gas, heat, and ash. This destroys the organic substances and hazardous materials and reduces the waste’s mass by 80% and volume by 95%.
It means less waste ends up in a landfill and the risk of contamination from infectious or hazardous materials is eliminated. Some medical waste may go through thermal disinfection, which removes any hazardous and infectious elements so the materials can be recovered and recycled.
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How do I dispose of medical waste at home?
Check whether your local council offer a collection service if you create any medical waste at home, such as syringes, pharmaceuticals, or sharps. Some local authorities provide a medical waste collection service for free, while others may charge a fee. You can also arrange collection by a reliable professional waste collection service.
You should never throw medical waste away in your household waste or recycling bin. This can contaminate the load or end up in a landfill, which puts both human health and the environment at risk.
Get a fast and free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for medical waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of medical waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Published 27th January 2023 by Graham Matthews. Last modified 17th February 2025