Hazardous, clinical and electrical waste
Find out how to safely and legally get rid of waste that can be harmful. Book a hazardous waste collection.
Contents
Clinical waste
You must not put clinical or healthcare waste in with general waste.
We offer a clinical and healthcare waste collection service to households for free.
Your GP or healthcare professional must register you for this service. Ask them to complete the application form (PDF, 222KB) for you.
Once we've received the completed form we'll contact you to collect your clinical waste.
We'll give you Sharpsafe containers or yellow bags depending on the type of waste being collected.
You then book a collection when your box or bags are full. Most residents who use this service get a collection every 3 to 6 months.
What goes in your container or bag
Only put sharp items in your Sharpsafe container. We'll collect sharps that could cause cuts or puncture wounds, including:
- needles
- syringes with needles attached
- broken glass ampoules
- scalpels and other blades
- infusion sets
It's safe to store your container in your home until it can be collected. Keep it securely closed.
Do not put Sharpsafe containers inside the yellow bags (if you have them). These are for hygiene waste only.
We'll also collect hygiene waste that does not have any special requirements for infection prevention. This includes:
- dressings
- bed linen
- disposable clothing
- disposable bedpans
- incontinence pads
- filled stoma bags
- other items used to dispose of urine, faeces and other bodily matter
You must put hygiene waste into the yellow bags provided. Make sure they are not more than three quarters full. Tie them securely, but do not use staples to close the bag.
Hygiene waste is collected weekly.
Collection days
Your collection day depends on which postcode you live in:
- Monday: SE4, SE5, SE11, SE14, SE15, SE17
- Tuesday: SE19, SE21, SE22, SE23, SE24
- Thursday: SE1, SE8, SE16
Book a collection
Most residents who use this service receive a collection every 3 to 6 months. You can request a collection when you have a full box.
On collection day put your sealed Sharpsafe container and tied yellow bags in a visible and accessible location near your front door. This must be before 6am.
We can also give you more containers when they're full.