Healthcare risk waste is the term used to describe the waste produced from healthcare and clinical waste services that may pose a risk of infection, such as swabs, bandages, sharps etc. Healthcare risk waste management outlines the steps needed to ensure that waste is correctly segregated in the appropriate waste stream for treatment and disposal.
Healthcare Waste Disposal Solutions
No single treatment option is optimal for all waste streams, because they each have very different risk profiles and regulations. It is important to identify and stream your waste correctly in order to avoid harm to people or the environment - and to avoid the risk of fines.
Healthcare Waste
In Ireland, Healthcare Waste is segregated in two distinct streams: Healthcare Non-Risk Waste (clear) or Healthcare Risk Waste (Yellow). When segregating waste you must consider both the appropriate waste stream and the appropriate packaging.
Healthcare Risk Waste is potentially hazardous to those who come in contact with it. It may be made up of infectious, biological, chemical or radioactive content, or categorised as a sharp.
Healthcare Risk Waste Solutions
Pharmaceutical, Chemical & Hazardous solutions
Speciality and Information Protection solutions
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All of our waste containers are UN approved and we have our own fleet of vehicles operating across Ireland with dedicated waste disposal facilities - this means that we can offer you compliant, fully trackable and auditable end-to-end specialist waste solutions that will help protect your business, your employees and your clients.
Frequently asked questions about Healthcare waste
Different types of healthcare risk waste require different methods of healthcare risk waste disposal. A sealed unit (with different colour lids, depending on the type of waste) can be used for wastes such as infectious waste, non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, cytotoxic/cytostatic waste and anatomical waste. Yellow healthcare risk waste disposal bags may also be used for soft infectious waste. In order to ensure the correct disposal of healthcare risk waste, it is important to identify and stream your waste correctly.
Yellow healthcare risk waste bags are used for the disposal of soft waste only, such as swabs, bandages, gowns gloves, aprons etc. No liquids or sharps/ hard plastics. Yellow-stream waste must be sent for incineration at a suitably authorised facility. Find our more about clinical waste bags.
Healthcare risk waste collection occurs at regular intervals or scheduled times, depending on customers needs.Some sectors require different types of healthcare risk waste solutions. Find out more about our healthcare risk waste removal and the processes.