The effective management of clinical and related wastes is one part – generally the last part – in a complex undertaking that starts with procurement of supplies and clinical practice, though ward hygiene and safety, infection prevention and control to occupational safety and environmental protection.

It is, it should be, a clean undertaking.

It was thus saddening to see two clinical waste vehicles travelling down the M3 on Wednesday, completely filthy from top to bottom. With not an inch of clean to be seen, save for a semi-lunar gap on the windscreens where the wipers managed to reach, the extent of this filth reached across all parts of the vehicles, including the high sides and top of the load compartments. Almost to the point of obliteration of their company logos, vehicle registration, indicator lights and orange placards, the vehicles did not reflect well on the operators.

Indeed, one was doing no favours for the environment, or should that be the Environnment? The other, well, that looked neither smart nor sharp!