A Successful Vaccination Strategy, But What Happens to The Waste?
20 July 2021 by CSG
Clinical and healthcare waste is one of the most difficult waste streams to handle, but one of the most important. This is because clinical waste is:
- at high risk of exposure to infections and diseases
- or may itself be hazardous.
It can include amongst other things body fluids, human tissue, used or expired medicine, or chemical waste.
Most of the UK’s adults have now had one or two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. But what happens to the waste produced at these facilities? In particular, the syringes & needles, also known as ‘sharps’ waste.
What is sharps waste?
Sharps waste is any sharp-pointed objects used to puncture or lacerate the skin. This includes syringes, needles, catheters, dental wires, scalpels, and blades.
Sharps waste solutions are common in healthcare facilities, like hospitals and laboratories. But sharps waste can also be created in beauty salons and tattoo parlours.
Sharps Waste Disposal
Exposure to infections and diseases is high when an object lacerates or punctures the skin. So, if not disposed of correctly it increases the risk of transmission to other people.
Thus, sharps waste should be separated from other waste streams into specific containers. These containers need a special and careful collections, treatment and disposal service.
As a leading waste management company, CSG specialises in handling hazardous waste streams.
Our drivers are trained to safely handle and transport hazardous waste. Robust collection procedures and protocols ensure no risk of cross-contamination.
Sharp waste is marked and separated for specialist management when it arrives at one of CSG’s treatment facilities.
Greg Smith, technical and operations manager for CSG, said:
“As with any material received by CSG, our aim is always to minimise the volume of waste going to landfill.
CSG has a unique range of specialist chemical and physical waste processing operations. These enable us to accept waste that would be difficult for other companies to handle.
“This makes us a trusted partner for many healthcare and pharmaceutical organisations. They know CSG can be relied upon to collect, transport and process hazardous waste safely.
At the start of the pandemic, we quickly created a Covid-safe work environment for our employees and customers. Allowing CSG to continue to support businesses and organisations as an essential service.
The Covid-19 pandemic is generating a significant volume of clinical waste. Including, used PPE, Covid-19 test kits and vaccine syringes and needles. Once collected, healthcare waste is transported for recovery in waste-to-energy power facilities.
“CSG has a good reputation for our work aiding the healthcare industry. We continue to liaise with healthcare organisations to deliver ongoing support in this area.”
Do you want to find out how we can help your organisation with safe and compliant clinical and pharmaceutical waste solutions?
We have a team of technical experts that can answer any questions you might have and guide you through the entire process.
