Importance of a correct approach

Chrissie Rowlinson, product marketing manager at Cannon Hygiene UK – which offers services ranging from washroom and hygiene care to management of clinical waste – explains the key steps to ensuring that the various categories of healthcare waste are properly and responsibly segregated, and disposed of in accordance with the applicable guidance and legislation.

While it is essential that hospitals are correctly disposing of clinical waste, our research suggests that time pressures are leading organisations to make mistakes. Trends from our pre-acceptance audits – which waste producers have to submit before materials can be accepted for disposal under Environment Agency legal requirements – show that there are considerable gaps in the knowledge of how certain waste has to be separated. This issue could potentially lead to cross-contamination of waste, which in some cases can be bad for the environment, and in extreme ones could lead to situations where organisations are breaking the law.

The correct segregation of waste, such as filling containers with the correct types, can also result in significant cost efficiencies which, of course, NHS organisations are under pressure to improve. At a time when public sector budgets are continuing to be squeezed, staff are expected to perform a wide range of roles. It is therefore crucial that all employees are trained in the accurate disposal of waste materials to ensure compliance with national legislation.