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The Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Commission
regulate clinical waste.
Clinical Waste is defined in the Controlled Waste Regulations
1992 as:
-
Human and animal tissue, or blood or other bodily
fluids, or excretions, and drugs or other pharmaceuticals
-
Swabs or dressings syringes, needles or other sharp
instruments, which unless rendered safe may prove
hazardous to any person coming into contact with
it
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Any other waste arising from medical, nursing,
dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical or similar practice,
investigation, treatment, care, teaching or research,
or the collection of blood for transfusion, being
waste that may cause infection to any person coming
into contact with it.
Some clinical wastes may be classified as special  (hazardous)
waste and are subject to the Special Waste Regulations
(Hazardous Waste Regulations from July 16th 2005).
The landfill directive requires that all wastes be
treated prior to landfilling and that all wastes with
the hazardous property H9 (Infectious) are banned from
landfill. There are four methods of pre-treatment: -
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Heat treatment
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Chemical Treatment
-
Irradiation
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Encapsulation
The recommended route for the disposal of clinical
waste is through incineration preferably with energy
recovery. Due to stringent legislation regarding the
control of emissions the number of incinerators dealing
with clinical waste in England and Wales has fallen
from 700 to 37 of which most are operated by private
sector companies.”
SANPRO waste
Sanitary towels, nappies and incontinence pads are not
considered clinical waste if they originate form a healthy
population and at present can be landfilled without
pre-treatment.
Links to more information
Netregs:
Clinical Waste Guidance
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