Stericycle was a pioneer of eco-conscious pharmaceutical waste disposal and to this day, we’re committed to the innovation of new products and services to help our customers reach their sustainability goals.
Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal
Pharmaceutical waste is any waste which contains medicinal drugs that are expired, unused, contaminated, damaged or no longer needed.
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Stericycle’s pharmaceutical waste solutions are designed for facilities to efficiently manage pharmaceutical waste. Our comprehensive services include waste categorisation, staff training, and ongoing support for your team members to help ensure safety and regulatory compliance.
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We collect and dispose of all pharmaceutical waste bins, containing out-of-date pharmaceuticals, controlled drugs destruction kits, cytotoxic and cytostatic waste and recalled pharmaceutical stock.
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Hazardous medicinal waste
Purple stream pharmaceutical waste is used for any waste contaminated by hazardous cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines (e.g. chemotherapy drugs, birth control, chloramphenicol). Purple-stream waste must be sent for above 1,000 degree incineration at a suitably authorised facility.
Purple-lidded sharps units are for sharps that have been used in the administration of, or are contaminated by, hazardous cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines. Non-sharps waste that are contaminated with cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines in their original packaging or blister packs, or denatured.
Denaturing kits
Denaturing kits are used for the safe disposal of old medicines, including controlled drugs, that are in tablet, powder, liquid or ampoule form. Once used, the kits can be disposed of in the purple lidded containers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The term cytotoxic is used mainly to describe a substance that can cause harm to or damage to cells. Cytotoxic waste must be properly segregated for disposal by high temperature incineration.
Pharmaceutical waste is any waste which contains medicinal drugs that are expired, unused, contaminated, damaged or no longer needed.
Phamaceutical waste can be disposed of in different streams, depending on the type of pharmaceutical waste. The Blue Waste stream is used for non hazardous medicines and medicinal products. The Purple Waste stream is used for Cytotoxic and Cytostatic medicines - hazardous medicinal products and items contaminated with hazardous medicines.
It depends on the kind of pharmaceutical waste you produce. Non-hazardous pharmaceuticals can be disposed of in blue containers. Cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines are disposed of in purple containers.
A denaturing kit is used for the safe disposal of old medicines that are in tablet, powder, liquid or ampoule form. The can then be disposed of in either the Blue lidded or Purple lidded container, depending on whether the substance is non-hazardous or cytotoxic.