The current vacancy for a part-time clinical waste handler/roundsman in west London raises two interesting questions. The advertisement specifies: “In order to be considered for this role it is essential you have been inoculated […]
Advertising flimflam is part of the way of things these days, and we all take it with a generous pinch of salt. In the UK, claims have to be compliant with […]
Norovirus outbreaks continue to be a major seasonal problem and cause huge disruption to care services with substantial morbidity and mortality. What to do with Norovirus waste? Much waste will be destined for the toilet […]
“Unison, the UK’s largest union, today called on the Government to end the horror caused to NHS nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and other health workers by sharps injuries. According to […]
The Environment Agency has issued an example hospital waste audit plan and report format. There is no requirement to use this particular format but it is expected to demonstrate an effective approach to conducting this […]
Refrigerating clinical wastes is something that occasionally appears on the UK agenda but is rightly dismissed as an unnecessary energy expenditure (though with global warming perhaps things will change). However, […]
The IRS has seized about 20 tons of garbage sent from Spain to Brazil. The waste was in a container at the port of Itajai, approximately 60 miles from Florianopolis. The load contains dirty […]
Judgment of the Tribunal in connection with an application by SRCL Limited (“Stericycle”) for review of a decision by the Competition Commission (“CC”) dated 21 March 2012 (“the Report”), which sets out […]
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 […]
9th May 2012 Suffering a needlestick injury can be extremely distressing for anyone affected. Solicitors recently represented a hospital employee who was injured at work in this way and he received compensation. Safety […]
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 […]
The assessment of the ‘hazardousness’ of wastes is done based on Decision 2000/532/EC on the List of Waste (LOW) and Annex III to Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, which defines the properties […]
A California judge has ordered Rhode Island-based pharmacy chain CVS to pay $13.75 million in fines to 45 cities and towns in the Golden State for improper dumping of hazardous materials […]
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 […]
Many Trusts and smaller organisations including PCTs and GP surgeries are struggling to implement EU Directive 2010/32/EU, or are they dragging their heels to delay the additional expenditure that will be inevitable? […]
A national cleaning company has been fined £175,000 after a hospital porter was killed by an industrial waste compactor in Bolton. The man’s neck was broken when the lid on the large […]
We have discussed on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum, over many years, the problem of drug residues in the environment. It is an issue in which we stand very much […]
ScienceDaily reports that large quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria enter the environment via municipal – and especially hospital – wastewater streams. Although wastewater treatment plants reduce the total number of bacteria, the most hazardous […]
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 […]
The head of the World Health Organisation has recently warned about antibiotic resistance caused by prodigal use of drugs on factory farms: “Greater quantities of antibiotics are used in healthy animals […]
Healthcare is becoming more green, slowly, sometimes very slowly, but there are improvements. Some measures are clearly valuable and worthwhile. Others perhaps less so though if it sends a positive […]
I had the misfortune of a hospital appointment yesterday, for a series of tests that too place in a modest sized room equipped with an examination couch and a whole […]
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 […]
letsrecycle.com is claiming that pharmaceutical retailer Boots is preparing to classify all waste collections from its UK outlets as dry mixed recycling. As of April 2012, all waste from its […]
The prescribing of unnecessary and unwanted medicines places a substantial and unwelcome pressure of healthcare costs, stockpiles drugs in bathroom cabinets that increases the risk of self-harm or accidental poisoning, and bears […]
What is the CO2 footprint of your waste management operation? Ir is an important question, for all our sakes, and must be considered by waste producers, operators, planners and regulators alike. […]
The Indian campaigning group Safenviron claims that untreated clinical and related wastes wastes are finding their way to plastic recycling vendors without first being made safe. “Medical needles, saline bottles, […]
Safer needles that are mandated by EU Directive 2010/32/EU really make a difference. Sharps injuries are reduced, though there is now anecdotal evidence that the implementation of a new safety engineered needle […]
The deadline for mandatory implementation of EU Directive 2010/32/EU is drawing ever closer. As yet, many NHS Trusts are dragging their heels, perhaps awaiting reduced prices as the most popular product […]
In what is claimed to be a systematic review and evaluation of the efficacy of ‘safer sharps devices’, HSE have recently published this work from HSL. Last updated: Saturday, February 25, 2012