What goes in which bin

Clinical waste is any waste which poses a threat of infection to humans.

Households

Infectious Waste

Examples of infectious waste include:

• Infectious bodily fluids;
• drugs or other pharmaceutical products;
• Infected swabs or dressings;
• syringes, needles or other sharp instruments.

If you produce infectious waste please see your GP. Your GP will need to confirm the type of clinical waste to be collected. This is in order to receive authorisation that the Hertfordshire and South Midlands Local Area Team will fund your collections. Once this has been received, the surgery will normally register you with our contractor for special collections.

Infectious waste is collected weekly on a Thursday.

Sharps boxes are collected monthly on a Thursday. If you are unsure which Thursday in the month your sharps box collection is due contact us on 01707 357 000.

Offensive/Hygiene Waste

This waste can go in your black refuse bin. Offensive waste does not need to be collected separately as it does not pose a risk of infection.

Examples of offensive/hygiene waste include:

• Incontinence products
• Dressings
• Stoma bags
• Catheter bags

Businesses

Clinical waste is mainly produced by hospitals, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and veterinary practices, but also arises from residential homes and nursing homes.

Clinical waste collections from commercial properties would need to be arranged with a recognised clinical waste disposal company. It is the responsibility of the producer that the company is suitably licensed. This is a service that would be charged for depending upon the volume of waste produced and the number of collections required. Details can be found in telephone directories or on the internet.