Safe Sharps Waste Disposal

What is Sharps Waste?

Sharps waste includes any item that can cut or puncture the skin, such as needles, syringes with attached needles, lancets, scalpels, stitch cutters and contaminated broken glass. It is commonly produced by healthcare, dental, veterinary, laboratory, beauty and tattoo businesses.

To keep your staff, customers and waste handlers safe, sharps must be separated according to what has contaminated them. The correct container will depend on whether the sharp contains no medicine, a non-cytotoxic medicine, or a cytotoxic or cytostatic medicine.

Place each sharp into the correct rigid, puncture-resistant, colour-coded container immediately after use. Your site’s waste assessment, local procedures and container labels will help you choose the right waste stream.

Choosing the Right Sharps Container

In England, the main sharps waste streams use orange, yellow and purple lids. The right container is determined by what the sharp has been used for and whether any medicine remains on it.

Purple-lidded container: cytotoxic or cytostatic sharps

A purple-lidded sharps container is used for sharps contaminated with cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines or their residues. These medicines can damage cells or inhibit cell growth and require a separate high-temperature treatment route. Examples include:

• Needles and syringes used to administer chemotherapy medicines
• Sharps contaminated with specified cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines
• Sharps carrying residues from relevant hormone or other cell-hazardous treatments

Safe Storage and Disposal

Dispose of sharps immediately after use and never recap, bend, break or remove needles by hand. Keep the container upright and close to the point of use, complete the label correctly and never fill it above the marked fill line.

Store filled containers securely and away from unauthorised access. Once a container reaches the fill line, apply the permanent closure and move it to your designated waste storage area ready for collection by an authorised clinical waste provider.

Labelling and Digital Waste Tracking

As the waste producer, your business is responsible for making sure every sharps container is correctly classified, securely labelled and matched to the relevant collection or digital waste record. Clearly show your business and site details, the contents and waste code, the container type and lid colour, opening and closure dates, any handling hazards, and the relevant collection, consignment or digital tracking reference. If you are unsure, our team can help you identify the right information and provide the appropriate documentation.

WGS Waste Management

WGS Waste Management provides a safe, reliable sharps collection service for businesses across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and South London. We make it simple to store, document and dispose of your sharps waste responsibly.

We supply the correct colour-coded, UN-approved sharps containers for the waste your business produces, together with all the necessary documentation and a collection service tailored to your needs.

We can also provide specialist wall-mounted units and integrated storage solutions to keep work surfaces clear and make sharps disposal safer and more convenient in busy clinical environments.

Whether you need daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly collections, we will agree a reliable schedule that works around your business and the volume of waste you produce.