Safe disposal of medications and sharps in the home setting
The US FDA is hosting a webinar “Safe Disposal of Medications and Sharps in the Home Setting” on August 23, 2012 at 13:00-14:00 eastern time. The webinar is part of […]
community
Church finds dumped medical waste
It seems that there is nowhere free for the occasional dumping of clinical wastes. Though in the UK, it is most commonly drug paraphernalia that might be found in a churchyard. […]
Medicines waste – the tip of a very large iceberg
The Guardian reports of the approximately £150 million of medicines returned to pharmacists each year that are “wasted” and destroyed by incineration rather than re-issued. It is, of course, a tale of […]
Bournemouth toddler suffers sharps injury in local park
The mother of a toddler who rolled onto a drug addict’s needle in a park is facing an agonising wait to see if her daughter has caught HIV. Two-year-old Siann […]
Discarded needles on school premises
Finding discarded needles is a common occurrence on school premises. In the national audit of Local Authority approaches to the management of drug litter, to be published in July in CIWM Journal, […]
Offering solutions, solving problems…Not!
Waste Management World reports that cleansing bosses in Exeter are appealing to people not to put hypodermic needles into their recycling boxes. “In one week alone, 113 needles were found in […]
Heatwave
The weather has been topsy-turvey for a few years now and the predictions, or should that be the expectations, are that the trend will continue. While winters may be wetter and […]
Clinical (medical) waste in Saskatoon landfill
Saskatoon is in the middle of nowhere – quite literally, it is located in the most central part of Canada and has few, if any, close neighbours. This makes a particularly […]
US community sharps incidents
Calrecycle have reported a collection of sharps-related incidents reported in the news: Boy, 7, pricks himself with a syringe he found on an Oakland play yard Beach Closed After Hypodermic Needles […]
LA guidance notes for clinical waste segregation and storage
LB Barnet have been working hard to update their clinical waste information for community producers. Their recently published GN 5 – Guidance Notes for Storage and Disposal of Clinical Waste explains the […]
Contaminated needle and syringe found as kids take part in community clean-up nearby
“A used needle and syringe “heavily contaminated” with blood were discovered while 100 children took part in a community litter-pick near a primary school. “The discarded needle was found during […]
Your waste, your responsibility
It is a truism that, at all times “Your waste [is] your responsibility”. Nobody would argue with that but sometimes this creates a precedent against which the blameless can be unfairly measured. […]
Community clinical waste problems?
In a remarkably no-news item appearing in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, an elderly pensioner complains that he unexpectedly received a bright yellow clinical waste bin and four ‘huge bags’ delivered to […]
Assisted and clinical waste collections, Cornwall
The information available on local authority web pages creates an essential method of communicating waste-related news to residents and others. A recent update by Cornwall Council (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=30535) discusses assisted and […]
Melting snow reveals discarded needles
A Thunder Bay, Ontario, woman has come across three syringes lying on the ground as the spring sun melts the snow that has lain on the ground for what is, in […]
Recycling unwanted medicines
There are several ways to reduce the NHS expenditure associated with unwanted prescriptions. Control of prescribing, and the uncontrolled issue of repeat prescriptions, are perhaps the most appropriate control measures though […]
Clinical wastes in the community
Clinical wastes in the community take two forms, discarded drug litter and waste from individuals receiving usually long-term care in their own home. Management of those wastes is generally the […]
Complaints in Camden….again
Many UK cities now have the benefit of FixMyStreet to report problems to Local Authorities and other agencies concerning issues such as graffiti, waste management problems, fly tipping, noise, highways issues […]
This septic isle?
The River Yare has been the subject of many landscape paintings by the early 19th century Norwich School of artists. There are examples in the National Gallery of Art in Washington […]
No wonder it’s so bad
Clinical waste management in the clinical environment should be managed to an exemplary standard in order to maintain hygiene standards and eliminate the hazards associated with sharps and sharps injury. But is that […]
Servicing sharps disposal bins
Sharps bins had previously been found only in healthcare premises but are now ubiquitous. Many gymnasia and sports stadiums now place a sharps bin in the male toilets – though vehemently deny any suggestion […]
Shotts residents delighted after medical incinerator plans rejected by council
The local press report “Shotts residents delighted after medical incinerator plans rejected by council” but they, the Harthill Environmental Action Group, don’t look very pleased about it do they? Last updated: […]
No go for Shotts incinerator plan
After substantial delay, “North Lanarkshire Council’s decision to reject a planning application for a controversial medical waste treatment plant in Shotts could result in the loss of 120 jobs. “Last […]
Syringe pens……again!
The Clinical Waste Discussion Forum has reported widespread concern about these novelty syringe pens that too easily can be mistaken by children for the real thing. A small wound, a hysterical mother […]
2011 Local Authority clinical waste audit
The first part of the results of the 2011 Local Authority clinical waste audit have now been published. Dealing with the management of clinical wastes from domestic premises, this is published in […]
NICE clinical guideline – primary and community care (waste management)
The National Clinical Guideline Centre has released its latest and probably last draft of its document “Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care” for pre-publication […]
Out-of-hospital care generates extra clinical waste in the community
It is several years ago that the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum predicted a substantial increase in community-based care with patients managed for an increasing complex range of conditions at local clinics […]
Clinical waste poses serious threat to scavengers
In many parts of the world, waste tips and landfill sites are populated by scavengers who scrape a living from the salvage of reusable and recyclable items from wastes. Many […]
Cancer hospital effluents blamed for killing Sri Lankan villagers
Waste containing radioactive particles released from the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama (Cancer Hospital) were responsible for cancers among the villagers living in its vicinity, the Western Provincial Council’s Environment Ministry […]
Reducing pharma waste
Cutting costs and reducing waste have been a primary focus for healthcare facilities in the years since the recession hit, prompting many to look into implementing pharmacy process improvement. US […]