Waste management seminars will focus on guidance and regulations

Published in December 2006, the new HTM07-01 replaces the Health Services Advisory Committee’s guidance document Safe disposal of clinical waste, which was published in 1999. The new document has been produced as a best practice guide to the management of healthcare waste and to help healthcare organisations and other producers meet legislative requirements. This guidance also introduces a new national colour coded waste segregation guide; a new methodology for infectious and medicinal waste; and an offensive/hygiene waste stream. It provides sector guides for community nursing, research and laboratory facilities and ambulance services.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive), to be published in 2007, aims to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment by increasing re-use, recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. This guidance will have implications for all those involved with estates and facilities.

The IHEEM seminars will give a general introduction to the HTM and the WEEE Regulations and identify how the guidance will have affect everyday working practices. Case studies will give advice on how to tackle the guidance as well as offering a legal viewpoint. Further speakers will offer advice on the day-to-day implications stemming from the guidance.

This seminar should be attended by all those involved in the management of wastes in healthcare facilities. The first of this series of seminars is being held in Newcastle on 18 September 2007, and others will be held later in London and Birmingham.

For a programme and to book a place visit www.iheem.org.uk/events, e-mail events@iheem.org.uk or telephone the IHEEM Events Manager on 023 9282 3186.