Waste Legislation

Health service

Guidance for clinical waste regulation compliance

In the UK there is legislation in place to ensure that hazardous clinical waste, including dental waste, is managed safely and disposed of properly, ensuring the environment remains free from harm. We understand the legal obligations placed on organisations and we can provide advice and best practice recommendations to ensure your clinical waste is handled, transported and disposed of in safe and effective manner. All clinical waste handling and disposal procedures must comply with the following regulations:

• The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (including the Duty of Care Regulations)
• The Controlled Waste Regulations 2012
• The Hazardous Waste Directive 2011
• The Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations

The main legislation governing clinical waste disposal is The Environmental Protection Act 1990. This states all producers of waste have a Duty of Care to ensure the correct and proper management of waste is performed and states that it is "unlawful to deposit, recover or dispose of controlled clinical waste without a waste management licence, or in a way that causes pollution of the environment or harm to human health".

The Safe Management of Healthcare Waste Memorandum (HTM 07-01) issued by the Department of Health provides guidance on the secure and legally compliant management of clinical waste. This recommends the segregation of clinical waste occurs at the point of production using colour coded waste receptacles and outlines a best practice waste segregation colour coding scheme for producers of waste to follow. This separation ensures clinical waste legislation is adhered to and waste is stored, transported and disposed on in the correct manner.

Food retail

For more information or for further advice on how our clinical waste services can ensure your organisation is complying with the relevant regulations please get in touch.