YOUR SHARPS WASTE DISPOSAL SOLUTION

What is...

• Sharps Waste (Overview)

  Sharps waste comprises used “sharps” materials, including any device or object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. Therefore, this type of waste resides in the category of biomedical waste and demands careful handling. 

  Common materials and equipment deemed and treated as sharps waste include disposable scalpels and blades, hypodermic needles, contaminated glass, wires and certain types of plastic. 

• Non-Contaminated
  Sharps

  Non-contaminated sharps are free of both biohazardous, chemical and radioactive contamination. They are also known to be without any residue of these materials, having never been kept in proximity to any biohazardous, chemical or radioactive elements. 

  This categorisation of sharps might relate to unused “sharps” waste and items with sharp edges/items made up of materials that can easily puncture or lacerate skin but are not typically manufactured for this primary purpose, eg, glass shards, scissors, sharp plastic materials etc. 

   

• Biohazardous Contaminated
  Sharps

  Refers to those types of “sharps” (items/materials that have sharp edges and the potential to cause injury or infection) that have come into contact with biohazardous materials, no matter how small the trace amount. The sharps may have been used by healthcare professionals/providers, medical research facilities, veterinarians and other organisations and in other applications. 

  They may typically include needles, scalpels, blades and other surgical and healthcare instruments and apparatuses. 

• Chemically Contaminated
  Sharps

  The items/materials known as chemically contaminated sharps are those which contain or have come into contact with hazardous chemicals (but not those contaminants which are also hazardous or radioactive). To be “sharps” they will be capable of cutting/piercing or otherwise puncturing/lacerating. 

  Examples: razor blades, scalpels, microscope slides etc.

• Radioactive
  Sharps

  These are “sharps” materials contaminated by radioactivity, ie. devices or objects with corners, edges, or projections capable of cutting or piercing skin that have been exposed to radioactive treatments and/or substances. 

  Radioactive sharps may also be contaminated with chemical or biochemical elements but must be first handled as per the official and applicable procedure for radioactive waste.