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Compliant and legal clinical waste management
phs delivers a fully compliant clinical waste management solution designed around your organisation’s needs. Whether you operate in primary care, acute settings, or community healthcare, we make it simple to stay compliant with HTM 07‑01 guidance while keeping your teams focused on patient care.
As a trusted NHS supplier, phs provide you with everything you need for safe and compliant disposal, including UN‑approved clinical waste containers and bags with colour‑coding that aligns fully with HTM 07‑01 guidance for clinical waste. Our trained technicians manage scheduled collections and ensure all waste is transported and processed through appropriate, legally compliant disposal routes.
With expert support from our compliance specialists, we help you stay on top of legislation, CQC expectations, duty of care requirements and pre‑acceptance audits.
With phs, you get a complete, worry‑free service that protects your staff, your patients and your compliance.
What is clinical waste?
Clinical waste is any waste produced during healthcare, research or similar activities that could pose a risk of infection or injury. It includes items contaminated with blood or bodily fluids, used sharps, pharmaceutical products, and chemical waste from diagnostic or treatment processes.
Under the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012 and the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005, businesses that produce clinical waste have a legal duty of care to ensure it is correctly segregated, stored and disposed of by a licensed carrier.
How our clinical waste management service works
We can advise you on the right waste solution using the information you provide and, where required, complete a site survey before agreeing a collection schedule that works for your organisation.
Here’s the process:
1. Site assessment
A phs waste specialist calls or ideally visits your premises to assess the types and volumes of clinical waste you produce, identify storage requirements and recommend the right containers and collection frequency.
2. Containers and documentation
You receive colour-coded bins, bags and sharps containers appropriate to your waste streams. phs provides consignment notes and waste transfer documentation to keep your records compliant.
3. Scheduled collection
A DBS-checked, trained and uniformed phs driver collects your clinical waste on an agreed schedule. Collections are available on a frequency that matches your output.
4. Compliant disposal
All clinical waste is transported to licensed treatment facilities and disposed of in full compliance with Environment Agency requirements. You receive documentation confirming safe disposal for your audit records, uploaded to your Myphs portal.
Who needs clinical waste collection?
Any premises that generates waste capable of causing infection or injury needs a compliant clinical waste service. Some of our main clients are:
Clinical waste categories
Clinical waste is classified by colour-coded bags and containers to ensure correct segregation and disposal. Understanding these categories helps your team stay compliant and avoid cross-contamination. Here's some of the most common:
Orange waste stream
Used for infectious waste contaminated with blood, bodily fluids or other potentially infectious material, provided it is not contaminated with medicines or chemicals.
Examples include dressings, swabs, gloves and PPE from clinical procedures.
Orange waste may be treated using approved alternative treatment technologies or incineration before final disposal.
Yellow waste stream
Yellow bags are used for infectious waste that requires incineration, including waste contaminated with medicines or certain chemicals.
Unlike orange-stream waste, yellow-stream waste cannot undergo alternative treatment and must be incinerated.
Offensive waste - Tiger bags
Offensive waste is disposed of in black and yellow tiger bags. It's most commonly produced in washrooms, care settings, schools, and any public-facing premises where personal hygiene products are used. Examples of this waste could be tampons, or sanitary and male incontinence pads.
Offensive waste sits between general waste and clinical waste in the UK's waste classification system. It's not hazardous, so it doesn't need to be incinerated. But it does need to be segregated, stored safely, and collected by a licensed waste carrier.
Yellow sharps bins
Yellow sharps bins are for sharps contaminated with non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, for example administering medication such as needles and syringes with medication residue (excluding cytotoxic or cytostatic medicine).
They’re commonly used in hospitals, clinics, care homes and non-healthcare environments.
Yellow sharps containers must comply with current healthcare waste standards, including ISO 23907-1, and should be sealed and collected before reaching the fill line
Purple sharps bins
Used for waste contaminated by cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines (commonly used in chemotherapy).
Cytotoxic waste includes any material containing or contaminated with cytotoxic medicines, which are drugs designed to kill or damage living cells. These are commonly used in chemotherapy and other oncology treatments.
Cytostatic waste includes materials containing or contaminated with cytostatic medicines, these are drugs that inhibit cell growth or cell division rather than killing cells outright. These are commonly used in cancer therapy.
This waste stream requires specialist high-temperature incineration.
Blue lidded containers
Blue lidded containers are used for pharmaceutical waste, including expired, unused or contaminated medicines that are not cytotoxic or cytostatic. These medicines must be segregated from other healthcare waste streams and sent through authorised disposal routes.
Pharmaceutical waste containers come in a range of sizes to suit any sized practice, and are made sustainably with recycled plastic. On every service visit, waste is safely taken away for disposal, and the bin is exchanged for a new unit.
- Flexible sizes available in 7, 13, 30 and 50 litres
- Fully compliant with UN 3291 and ISO 23907-1:2019 standards
- Complies with current waste regulations
Compliant & Certified
Our services adhere to all relevant legal healthcare waste guidelines and current government regulations, giving you peace of mind.
Sustainable Disposal
Through our LifeCycle Strategy, 95% of all hygiene waste is diverted from landfill and sent to Energy Recovery Facilities (ERFs) by our partnerships with Energy-from-Waste (EfW) networks. Our bins are also made from up to 100% recycled materials.
Trusted by Thousands
With over 7,000 reviews and a 4.8 ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating, and over 120,000 customers nationwide including hundreds of NHS trusts, phs is a proven partner in hygiene and waste management.
Nationwide Service with Local Trained Experts
Our transport and collection hubs are nationwide meaning a friendly local workforce with the experience and support of a national company. Our drivers are all ADR certified with regular training so they stay up to date with changing regulations.
Resources and Training
We offer a free CPD accredited online learning courses and resources. This includes access to our online E-Learning modules to aid with waste segregation and ensuring you comply. We can also give you face-to-face on-site training if needed.
Flexible Collection Frequencies
We offer a tailored flexible solution based on your needs. From scheduled weekly, fortnightly or monthly collections to adhoc services. Waste is collected at a schedule that suits your business needs, ensuring minimal disruption.
We’re really proud to have joined forces with phs. Our priority at our Barchester Healthcare homes is to provide the residents we care for with comfortable, living spaces, and having a reliable waste removal supplier is a key aspect of this.
Case Study: Clinical waste disposal at Barchester Care Homes
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) sets strict guidelines for clinical waste management in the UK. Key requirements include:
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Segregation
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Having the correct storage bins, colour coded and labelled
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Safe and secure transportation
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Proper disposal
Facilities must have clear policies in place, provide staff training, conduct regular audits to ensure compliance. Failure to meet these requirements can result in fines or even closure of the facility. It's essential to follow CQC regulations closely to maintain a safe and hygienic environment for both staff and patients.
Clinical waste must be segregated at the point of generation using a colour-coded system to prevent cross-contamination and ensure safe disposal. Signage should be clear at disposal points. Here's a breakdown:
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Orange Bags: Non-infectious waste contaminated with bodily fluids (e.g. gloves, masks).
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Yellow Bags/Bins: Infectious waste requiring incineration (e.g. dressings from infectious patients).
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Purple Bags/Bins: Cytotoxic/cytostatic waste (e.g. chemotherapy-related items).
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Tiger Bags (Yellow & Black Striped): Offensive hygiene waste (e.g. nappies, incontinence pads).
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Blue Bins: Non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste (e.g. expired medicines).
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Red-Lidded Sharps Bins: Sharps contaminated with bodily fluids (e.g. needles, scalpels).
Storage durations vary by waste type and conditions:
Offensive waste:
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Up to 7 days if stored outside
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Up to 14 days if stored inside a building
Infectious waste and refrigerated anatomical waste: Up to 14 days.
Unrefrigerated anatomical waste: Up to 24 hours, or 72 hours if over a weekend.
Cytotoxic/cytostatic drugs, pharmaceuticals, chemicals: Up to 6 months.
There is no fixed frequency, but collection should be:
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Frequent enough to prevent overflow and ensure compliance with storage time limits.
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Tailored to the volume and type of waste your facility generates.
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Aligned with CQC standards, which expect timely disposal to avoid health risks and regulatory breaches.
Most facilities arrange weekly or bi-weekly collections, but high-volume sites may require daily pickups. We can help you determine a schedule when you make an enquiry and get a quote.
Yes we can help you with one off clinical waste disposal. Our service can suit any frequency of collections, including ad hoc or emergency requests.
Healthcare waste producers must now label each waste container with their business name, postcode, the collector, and the date the waste was placed out. Unlabelled waste will no longer be collected, except for offensive waste which remains exempt. To read more on this visit our guide outlining more information on changes to EPR 5.07 legislation.
We use specialist, purpose-built clinical waste transport vehicles with fully trained staff wearing the correct PPE where needed.
Our staff will handle everything on the day. You’ll be provided with new bins and all the relevant paperwork, which is then uploaded to your Myphs portal.
There’s no set price as every client is different and our service is bespoke to each customer. The best way to get a price is to get in touch for a quote.
