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Small business guide to medical waste disposal

Do you think your business is too small to need medical waste disposal services? Our latest blog is a guide for small-scale medical waste producers on how to do the right thing when it comes to disposing of sharps and soft clinical waste.

When one thinks of medical waste disposal, hospitals, clinics, and medical practices immediately spring to mind. They are the obvious generators of medical waste and need to have it disposed of in a way that complies with local legislation.

Non-healthcare sector producers of medical waste

But what about other types of businesses that generate medical waste?

They aren’t perhaps as obvious, and may not spring to mind immediately, but medical waste disposal isn’t only for hospitals and clinics. This previous blog offers an insight into 5 unexpected places you may find Initial medical waste bins and disposal services: places like tattoo parlours, beauty salons, veterinary clinics, gyms and schools.

It’s important to note that you don’t necessarily need to be in the healthcare industry to be a producer of medical waste. If your business produces medical waste, regardless of sector, you need to employ a professional medical waste disposal service provider like Initial Hygiene to ensure your business meets health and safety standards for both your customers and employees.

Small businesses

One of the objections that our consultants face out in the field when talking to small businesses about medical waste is business size. We hear all too often: “Surely my business is too small to need a medical waste disposal service? I only use a couple of needles a month“.

But the answer to this is another question: “If you aren’t using a medical waste disposal service, how ARE you disposing of your sharps waste or soft clinical waste?” By law, you need to be disposing of these items correctly, and safely.

If you run a small business and are wondering whether the volumes of medical waste you produce are too small to need a professional medical waste disposal service, we urge you to answer the following questions about your business:

Do you use needles, scalpels, or blades, on-site?
If the answer is yes, then you must dispose of them in a container which should:
- not puncture easily,
- be stable and durable to withstand a fall onto a hard surface,
- have a lid that is “capable of being tightly secured” and
- should be clearly labelled as containing sharps.
Do you dispose of used bandages, swabs or plasters?
If the answer is yes, then you must dispose of these in a sealed medical waste container with a red liner, clearly designated as medical waste.

At Initial, we understand that different businesses are going to create vastly different volumes of medical waste. For example, a tattoo parlour is going to create a high volume of sharps waste but may produce very little soft clinical waste.

A beauty salon offering Botox and other aesthetic treatments may create differing volumes of sharps and soft clinical waste. Irrespective of the size of your business, Initial can tailor-make a medical waste disposal service to suit your specific needs.

Read our previous blog on 4 important questions to ask your medical waste management contractor to ensure that you are getting the best service for your business.

Nathalie Leblond