Health Technical Memorandum 07-01: Safe management of healthcare waste
This publication provides practical advice for all those involved in the management of healthcare waste.
This guidance (HTM 07-01) was produced and updated in partnership with Defra and the Department for Transport and with the full support and cooperation of the Regulators (Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive) and the devolved administrations.
This 2013 edition of this Health Technical Memorandum provides an update to the guidance published in 2006.
- Source: england.nhs.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guidance
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Safe management for healthcare waste
This is the second edition of this manual. It provides an update to Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 first published in 2006.
This document provides a framework for good practice for the management of healthcare waste
- Source: webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guidance
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NHS Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework
Essential Service – Disposal of unwanted medicines
Acceptance, by community pharmacies, of unwanted medicines from households and individuals which require safe disposal. PCOs will need to have in place suitable arrangements for the collection and disposal of waste medicines from pharmacies.
- Source: psnc.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Service Specification
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Waste duty of care code of practice
The Code of Practice applies to you if you produce, carry, keep, dispose of, treat, import or have control of waste in England or Wales.
The law requires anyone dealing with waste to keep it safe, make sure it’s dealt with responsibly and only given to businesses authorised to take it.
- Source: gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guidance
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Waste Medicines Health and Safety Briefing
- Source: psnc.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Briefing
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From 1st October 2010 some producers of healthcare related waste have been required to assess the composition of the waste they produce and inform their waste contractor, in order to assist in its safe collection and disposal.
The Environment Agency has prioritised the applicability of this requirement, based on risk, and so pharmacy contractors have been subject to these requirements from 1st July 2013.
- Source: psnc.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guidance
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Classify different types of waste
The tables below list waste codes for common healthcare and related wastes.
- Source: gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Table
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PSNC recommends that pharmacy staff should question people returning medicines to ensure there are no items in the returns which the pharmacy cannot safely dispose of, for example chemicals or products that may be incompatible with others in the waste bin. In order to facilitate this discussion with the person returning the medicines, pharmacies may wish to use the following prompt card
- Source: psnc.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Card
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Hazardous waste – GOV.UK
How to deal with hazardous waste from your business in England – your duties, licences and registration, storage, collection and transport.
- Source: gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Environment Agency
T28 – sort and denature controlled drugs for disposal
The T28 exemption allows pharmacies and similar places to denature controlled drugs to comply with Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
- Source: gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Exemption
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NIOSH List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings 2016
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published this list of hazardous drugs in 2016. This list includes drugs reviewed by NIOSH from January 2012 to December 2013. This list supersedes the 2004 list in the NIOSH Alert: Preventing Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Health Care Settings and the 2014 list of hazardous drugs. The format for the 2014 list was revised to include three groups of hazardous drugs: (1) Antineoplastic drugs; (2) Non-antineoplastic hazardous drugs; and (3) Drugs with reproductive effects. The 2016 list adds 34 drugs and includes a review of the 2004 list.
- Source: cdc.gov
- Pharmacy Resource: Publication
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The majority of medicines are not classed as hazardous. The only medicinal products that are automatically deemed to be hazardous are cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines. There is no definitive list of such products the following table has been developed using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (INOSH) in the United States and medicines that are classified in Chapter 8 (Malignant Disease and Immunosuppression) of the British National Formulary. This is meant as a guide to assist segregation of hazardous medicinal waste.
- Source: psnc.org.uk/swindon-and-wiltshire-lpc
- Pharmacy Resource: List
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Environment Agency Position Statement
Export of Waste Medicines
This updates our previous statement and sets out our position on organisations, for example charities, who may want to export waste medicines for use overseas.
- Source: webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Archived Position Statement
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Pharmacy Resources Last Checked: 29/09/2021