What is clinical waste? Sometimes referred to as medical waste, clinical waste can differ slightly depending on where you are located. In Australia, we use the term ‘clinical or related waste’ which means “waste that has the potential to cause disease and constitutes human tissue waste, discarded sharps, laboratory waste and or is contaminated with chemicals, cytotoxic drugs, human body parts, pharmaceutical products or radioactive substances”. 

Clinical waste includes the following: waste produced by medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, laboratory, pharmaceutical, podiatry, tattooing, body piercing, brothels, emergency services, blood banks, mortuary practices and other similar practices, and wastes generated in healthcare facilities or other facilities during the investigation or treatment of patients or research projects.

As a type of biomedical/biohazardous waste, the categorisation of sharps waste is a distinction under the umbrella term clinical and related waste; referring to any device or object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. It is possible for this type of waste to spread harmful blood-borne pathogens (should contaminated sharps pierce the skin). The safe use and disposal of sharps requires sharps disposal training and sharps container disposal using specialised medical sharps disposal services, like what is provided at Ace Waste. 

The types of medical materials that are commonly treated as sharps waste include needles, scalpels/blades and anything attached to them (such as syringes and injection devices). Glass items and sharp plastics that have been contaminated with biohazardous materials also fall into this category, as do many types of cutting implements used in a medical setting, such as razors or scissors. 

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The pharmaceutical waste stream deals with drugs/medicines, vaccines, remedies of other pharmaceutical products (other than scheduled and dangerous goods). These items (and their by-products) may have expired, may no longer be required, or may have been recalled/overrun. This also includes the raw material generated during manufacture and any residual, spilt or broken materials of a pharmaceutical nature. 

Examples of pharmaceutical waste include vials and containers (full, partly empty or used), prescription medications (capsule or tablet), controlled drugs, ampoules, needles, connecting tubing and general pharmaceutical products.

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Cytotoxic waste refers to any material contaminated with residues or preparations that are toxic to cells. This type of waste is generally produced by medical and related industries. The harmful nature of these materials means that suitable and stringent safety precautions related to handling, storage, segregation, transport and disposal must be adhered to at all times. Legally, cytotoxic waste must be incinerated by a licensed authority and all parties who come into contact with the material should be monitored regularly for compliance. 

Amounts of (or traces of) cytotoxic waste are typically found in (but are not limited to): syringes, vials and containers, needles and personal protective equipment. 

Sanitary waste doesn’t just include hygiene products like used sanitary napkins and diapers. Waste that falls under this category also can relate to bandages, plasters, catheters and even hospital gowns. Plus, any other materials contaminated with blood and/or other types of bodily fluids and solids. 

Forms of sanitary waste commonly include human and animal produced waste, incontinence pads, nappies, condoms, catheter and stoma bags, soiled bedding from a non-infection source and nasal secretions.