Last updated on December 7th, 2021 at 05:49 pm

PROCEDURE FOR THE DISPOSAL OF CLINICAL WASTE – Covid-19

Storage of clinical waste at ward / department level

All clinical waste awaiting collection should be:

  1. Stored in the wasteholds for the ward / department
  2. Contained within orange coloured bags
  3. Securely sealed with the yellow security tag 

Procedure for collecting from ward / department

Waste porters will continue to collect your clinical waste at the scheduled times throughout the day. If any ward or department require an extra or emergency collection please contact the following numbers:

Portering Supervisor Ext 1964
Helpdesk Ext 1188
Control Portering Team Ext 2317/7495/1409

The clinical waste container is to be closed/ locked immediately.

Following Portering waste procedures, Porters must always wear their waste gloves when handling waste containers. Replacement gloves can be sort via the Linen department or the Portering Supervisor (cut grade 3).

The Waste Porter will transport the clinical waste container back to the service yard    

Porters MUST NOT leave clinical waste bins left unattended at any time. Waste procedures must be followed at all times.

Tradebe operatives will ensure that this segregation is maintained and any carts containing Covid-19 or infectious (Orange) waste will be transferred to incineration facilities for disposal.

Confidential Waste Bags

Any confidential waste which has been in an infected area must be classed as infected clinical waste and disposed through the clinical waste stream by placing the confidential waste into an orange clinical bag.

Sharps Disposal

All sharps and anatomical waste must be put into the relevant receptacle with an appropriately coloured lid as per HTM 07-01, and these do not need to be put into an orange bag

Summary

In summary, infectious clinical waste including waste visibly contaminated with respiratory secretions (such as sputum or mucus from the mouth and nose) generated from an individual who had tested positive for COVID-19 and is still within their required isolation period, should be treated like any other infectious clinical waste – that is, as it would be for TB, hepatitis, etc, following national waste regulations.

Reporting of Spillage’s

Any spillage must be reported to the Portering or Domestic Supervisor on Ext 1964 or 1311 who will investigate the incident