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Clinical and healthcare waste collection service

Date updated: 4/05/2023

Clinical and Healthcare Waste is divided into three waste types:

  • Healthcare (sometime called offensive waste)
  • Sharps
  • Infectious waste

Healthcare waste

This includes soiled refuse, such as surgical dressings and swabs and items used to dispose of urine, faeces and other bodily secretions, such as incontinence pads, stoma bags and urine containers.

You can dispose of this waste with your general refuse. This waste will be collected every day, Monday to Saturday. For more information about your general refuse collection, please see the Waste Collection web page. 

Please make sure the waste is secured in plastic bags. 

Never put it in a bin loose. Do not use yellow bags for this type of waste.

Sharps

This includes items such as needles, syringes, and scalpels. Only sharp boxes with yellow lids (no other colours) will be collected. Please speak to your GP/Doctor or Healthcare Provider for collection of boxes with any other colour lids.

Call the Contact Centre on 020 7606 3030 when you have a full sharps box to arrange a collection.

Infectious waste

This includes items such as that generated by dialysis, human blood and blood products, or microbiological and pathological waste. Your GP, nurse or healthcare practitioner will need to assess this waste to determine whether it is infectious. If it is classified as non-infectious, it can be disposed of as healthcare or offensive waste.

We will collect infectious waste from your home if we receive a referral from your GP, nurse or healthcare practitioner.

Call the Contact Centre on 020 7606 3030  for advice and assistance in arranging this type of collection.

Any waste produced by a community nurse or healthcare practitioner while carrying out treatments in your home should be removed and disposed of by the healthcare provider.

Items we do not collect

  • Unused drugs
  • Pharmaceutical products

These should be return to the chemist that dispensed them for proper disposal. 

For more information on the classification of Clinical and Healthcare Waste go to Health care and related waste on GOV.UK

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