Docfan Academy

Most health-care waste is as harmless as household waste. A small part is dangerous: infectious, sharp, chemical or pharmaceutical. If you mix them, all the waste becomes dangerous and costs more to handle. So we sort at the place where waste is made.

Sort by type

Colours and labels differ between facilities, so follow your facility's system and posters. In general:

• Sharps (needles, blades, lancets, broken glass): puncture-proof sharps container.
• Infectious waste (dressings, gloves and swabs soiled with blood or body fluids): leak-proof bag or bin with a lid, usually with a biohazard label.
• General waste (paper, packaging, food, clean plastic): ordinary bin.
• Pharmaceutical waste (expired or unwanted medicines): keep it separate. Do not put it in the general bin or pour it down the drain. Follow your facility's procedure and the current EFDA directives.

Handling and storage

1. Put the right bin where the waste is made, with a lid.
2. Label bins and bags. Do not overfill them.
3. Wear gloves. Carry bags by the neck, away from your body. Never push waste down with your hands.
4. Keep waste in a covered, restricted storage place, away from patients, food and the pharmacy, until it is collected or treated.
5. Clean your hands after handling waste.

Why it matters

Cleaners, waste collectors and people in the community can be injured or infected by waste that was sorted wrongly. Good sorting protects them, protects you, protects the environment and saves money, because the expensive treatment is needed only for the small dangerous part.