Leave it!
It is a general rule, predicated on safety, that once an item has been placed into a clinical waste container then no attempt should be made to retrieve it. Even with […]
clinical waste disposal
Cutting through the ….
Advertising flimflam is usually quite obvious. Bold and exaggerated claims and highly selective quotes clipped out of context are usually easy to spot. The law says much about the use […]
Pharmaceuticals in drinking water
Quite rightly, there is great concern about the presence of trace concentrations of certain – and realistically, about the presence of any – pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Taking the broader […]
Workwear hygiene for waste handlers – Can you help?
Workwear hygiene for waste handlers is a largely ignored issue but one that is nonetheless important and worthy of further investigation. We know that the external surfaces of most clinical […]
Dental waste
There are some who have one or more gold teeth, either through necessity or vanity. The latter group have often been to dentists that have not applied the same rigour […]
Hi-viz workwear
High visibility workwear is ubiquitous across the waste industries and indeed just about everywhere else, but how did it originate? The high-visibility vest arrived in Britain almost five decades ago. Last […]
Vietnam recycles clinical waste plastics to household utensils
Once more, a story has reached the news of plastics recovered from clinical wastes being recycled to teh manufacture of plastic plates, cups and other utensils. A previous story was […]
Errors in logic – community responses to planning aplications
Complaint and criticism of proposals and applications for clinical waste plant often reveal deeply rooted opposition that demonstrate, inevitably, serious errors in logic. This TV film report of such a […]
Disposal-related sharps injuries
“Almost 200 staff suffered injuries from contaminated needles or sharp medical instruments at the region’s main hospitals in just 12 months. “Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said 197 […]
Advice and support for clinical waste management?
Who provides advice and support to producers for aspects of clinical waste management? There are always many questions, and access to information can be troublesome. Who to ask? A waste […]
Resomation
Resomation, the solubilisation of tissues in a heated potassium hydroxide solution, is the subject of a substantial PR campaign aimed at gaining public acceptance and regulatory approval for the disposal of […]
Competition Commission investigates latest Stericycle acquisition
The OFT today referred the completed acquisition by Stericycle, Inc (Stericycle) of Ecowaste Southwest Limited (Ecowaste) to the Competition Commission for further investigation. Stericycle’s UK subsidiary, SRCL Limited (SRCL), provides […]
Is this fear irrational?
Planning applications for any clinical waste facility are often hotly contested by residents and others living or working nearby who feel that they may be harmed in some way by […]
What is the root cause?
Seeking the root cause of failures in the safe management of potentially hazardous wastes in resource-poor countries can, at time, be particularly tricky. Simple lack of material resources and a lack, […]
Medicines collection & disposal
A major US retail pharmacy chain has announced that all 7,200 of its locations now offer the Sharps Compliance Inc. medication disposal system which allows customers to dispose unused or […]
Hazardous substances in Europe’s fresh and marine waters
EEA Technical report No 8/2011 provides a comprehensive overview of hazardous substances in Europe’s fresh and marine waters. The document should provide a starting point, or refresher, for all those […]
West Gourdie whiff
The Healthcare Environmental Services waste treatment plant at the West Gourdie Industrial Estate is under increased scrutiny from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency after residents and businesses in the area […]
Community pharmaceuticals
Supporting effective disposal of pharmaceutical wastes from communities makes a substantial contribution to minimising environmental pollution secondary to disposal via sewer and the survival of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater treatment […]
Drug waste in natural waters
Drug residues present and persisting in natural water is an effective marker for a potentially serious adverse environmental effect. A series of recent studies suggests that pharmaceutical factories are not […]
Peak Pet Cremations
This issues surrounding the breaches at Peak Pet Cremations and the jailing four months of its owner Emma Bent have been described previously in the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum. Last […]
£20k savings on clinical waste disposal
Northampton General Hospital claims savings of around £20,000 on clinical waste disposal through their initiatives to drive enhanced source segregation and exclude inapproriate items into clinical waste containers. “We’ve asked […]
US medical waste truck ‘leaking’
Though there are a raft of regulations that dictate the standards for clinical waste containment, from individual sacks and bins, through larger waste carts to road vehicles for the transfer […]
BD launches family of syringes addressing environmental impact
Becton Dickinson (BD) are to launch a family of syringes addressing environmental impact as well as a range of user benefits and clinical needs. Last updated: Friday, May 10, 2019
Cocaine levels in Antwerp’s waste water the highest in Europe
The Belgian city of Antwerp’s waste water contains the highest cocaine levels of 21 European cities measured, pipping London and Amsterdam, media quoted new research as showing today. According to the […]
Clinical waste facility will be included at Hertfordshire incinerator
A scoping report prepared for Veolia Environmental Services details a request made by Hertfordshire County Council, asking the firm to “make provision at the plant for the sorting and transfer […]
Research internship on healthcare waste management
Global Links is a medical relief and development organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship and improving health in Latin America and the Caribbean. Global Links currently works with partners in […]
Kuala Lumpur waste management failures
The Health Ministry Kuala Lumpur will take action against Radicare if investigations reveal that the company had failed to dispose of clinical waste properly. Last updated: Monday, July 8, 2019
Love Clean Streets
http://www.lovecleanstreets.com is a new and increasingly popular web-based service whereby individuals can report street scene defects, dumped litter, fly-posing and other issues to the appropriate local government department. Last updated: Thursday, […]
Sri Lanka pollution from National Cancer Institute
Godigamuwa is a Sri Lankan village in Maharagama, close to the National Cancer Institute. The first thing a visitor notices is a strong chemical odour in the air. A waterway that […]
Hospital dumping solid clinical waste into sewer
Staff at Mary Washington Hospital in Virginia, US, have been dumping medical waste in the city sewer system, including two recent cases when used bandages, gloves and syringes clogged a […]