Infection Prevention Solutions
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE - SUMMARY INTRODUCTION This waste summary has been written to provide guidance on managing waste in health and social care environments. Guidance is drawn from Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 07-01: Safe management of healthcare waste (2013). The guidance provides a number of initiatives to introduce cost savings, safer working practices and a reduction in carbon emissions related to managing waste including: • • • • • •
Updates to legislation, specifically for environmental permitting and transport/carriage regulations; A focus on the waste hierarchy through procurement practices, and the elimination, minimisation, recycling and recovery of waste; A drive to address the carbon impact related to waste through resource efficiency, transport impacts and disposal arrangements; The integration of new sector guides on GPs and dental practices as well as incorporating HTM 07-06: Disposal of pharmaceutical waste in community pharmacies as a sector guide A focus on practical advice and examples for classifying waste, in particular the infectious and offensive waste streams, including case studies to highlight best practice; A review of the terminology used for healthcare, clinical and non-clinical wastes
This protocol is intended to provide organisations and their staff with insight into the legislation and regulation that applies to waste management and in particular provides guidance on infection control related elements of clinical waste management. This document is NOT intended as a waste management policy. Organisations should produce a Waste Policy and Strategy which will ensure compliance with the requirements outlined below. Good waste management is important for the following reasons: • • •
to reduce the health and safety risk to staff, service users and visitors from waste; to manage waste disposal costs and reduce where appropriate; to ensure compliance with environmental legislation which includes the reduction of carbon impacts of managing waste.
xxxxxx Issue Date: 00/00/0000 Review Date: 31/05/2016
Management of Healthcare Waste Infection Prevention Solutions ©2021 Page 1 of 14
