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Compliant and legal pharmaceutical waste management
phs delivers a fully compliant pharmaceutical 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 pharmaceutical waste containers with colour‑coding that aligns fully with HTM 07‑01 guidance for pharmaceutical 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.
How our pharmaceutical waste management service works
Our service manages everything for you providing you with all the paperwork and digital records needed on each collection for your records and audits.
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 what's included:
Quote and site survey if required
Delivery and replacement bins
Efficient collection and management
Copies of all paperwork all uploaded to Myphs portal for easy access
Fully guaranteed products for the duration of the contract
Simple payment plan for flexibility
Fully licenced and regulated service
Waste safely destroyed and disposed of
Pharmaceutical waste collection and disposal for all healthcare practices
We work with a range of different healthcare practices and businesses including:
Pharmaceutical waste management products
We offer a range of serviced products from pharmaceutical waste containers to controlled drugs destruction kits. These products include:
Blue lidded pharmaceutical waste container
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.
Pharmaceutical waste containers should always have a blue lid to be compliant.
- 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
Cardboard waste containers for non-hazardous pharmaceuticals
Made from recycled cardboard, with polyethylene liner and ties. Our cardboard waste bins offer a more sustainable way to dispose of your out of date and unused medicines. These environmentally friendly disposal containers are lightweight and user friendly. Ideal for areas with limited storage space as they can be stored flat before use.
- Approved to UN3291 and NFX 30-507, ensuring compliance for your business
- Available in 12, 25 and 50 litre sizes
- Safely collected and disposed of by phs technicians
Controlled drugs destruction kits
Unused or out-of-date controlled drugs must first be denatured then destroyed via incineration, so that they cannot be recovered, retrieved, or re-used.
The Controlled Drug (CD) Destruction Kit is the securest way to denature drugs to render them safe. By placing controlled drugs waste in these containers, you can ensure they are disposed of correctly and safely. The CD destruction kit needs to be placed in a blue lidded pharmaceutical waste bin before disposal.
- Supplied with a collection and disposal service from phs
- Complies with controlled drug waste regulations
- Four different size kits to choose from: 250ml, 1L, 4L and 20L
- Needs a blue lidded pharmaceutical waste container to be correctly disposed of
Purple lidded cytotoxic and cytotatic waste container
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.
Because the risks posed by cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines are similar, HTM 07 01 places both into the same waste category, requiring:
• Segregation into purple lidded containers
• Hazardous waste classification
• Specialist handling, transport, and disposal processes
This ensures staff safety, environmental protection, and compliance with UK waste legislation.
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
Why choose phs?
Sustainable and eco-friendly bins
Our containers are manufactured using recycled materials. This cuts our carbon footprint and supports your ESG objectives. They’re also produced with zero manufacturing waste sent to landfill.
Paperless account management
The Myphs online portal offers an easy way to access key documents, raise queries, track visits, and pay invoices. This saves paper and keeps you organised with everything you need in one place.
Fully managed licenced service
We provide you with all the paperwork you need, can advise you on best practice. We then take care of the disposal with our licenced service saving you resources and admin.
Trusted by thousands
With over 6,000 reviews and an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating, and over 120,000 customers including hundreds of NHS trusts and businesses, phs is a trusted partner in pharmaceutical and healthcare waste.
Over 60 years’ experience
As market leaders in pharmaceutical and clinical waste, you can trust us as your waste management partner, keeping you legal and compliant.
Flexible products and service
Pharmaceutical waste containers in a range of sizes and a collection schedule to suit you. Our pharmaceutical waste disposal service can suit any type of healthcare provider or business.
Pharmaceutical waste disposal regulations
It’s a legal requirement in the UK for any organisation that handles medicines to dispose of pharmaceutical waste safely and compliantly.
Every healthcare and business setting must follow strict UK regulations governing how pharmaceutical waste is identified, stored, treated and disposed of.
These rules and laws exist to prevent environmental harm, protect staff and patients, and ensure controlled substances cannot be misused. The key regulations below outline the standards all healthcare and clinical environments must comply with.
NHS England’s HTM 07‑01 sets the national standards for safe segregation, storage and disposal of pharmaceutical waste. It’s the primary framework all healthcare settings must follow.
Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) reinforces the legal need for secure handling and disposal of medicines, aligned with HTM 07‑01. It covers correct waste identification, approved containers and controlled drug processes.
Pharmaceutical waste producers must follow Environment Agency rules, including Environmental Permitting (EPR 5.07) and the T28 exemption for on‑site controlled drug denaturing. Each site needs its own exemption.
Controlled drugs must be denatured so they cannot be recovered, and Schedule 2 stock destruction must be witnessed by an authorised witness. All handling must comply with Misuse of Drugs legislation.
Healthcare and businesses have a statutory duty of care to ensure pharmaceutical waste is segregated, labelled, stored, documented and tracked correctly until final disposal.
HTM 07‑01 provides the operational framework, but Northern Ireland (NIEA) regulations determine legal responsibilities
Scotland (SEPA) has additional regulatory requirements that must be followed alongside HTM 07‑01.
How to Implement a Healthcare Waste Management System
Once collected, we transport pharmaceutical waste to authorised facilities for safe disposal. Waste is then incinerated to ensure complete destruction.
These processes comply with strict environmental and healthcare waste regulations and laws to protect public health and the environment.
You can read more in our guide on how clinical waste is disposed of.
We cover the whole of the UK, with our regional depots and offices we can serve businesses and healthcare practices nationwide.
Each service and schedule is bespoke to the customer. The best way to find a price is to get a free no obligation quote.
Along with all healthcare providers such as pharmacies, hospitals and GPs etc we can also collect waste from the beauty industry for example Botox and fillers.
If you’re not sure if you think you need a pharmaceutical waste collection, get in touch and we can advise you on the correct service you’ll need.
Improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste can lead to serious legal and financial consequences for businesses.
These may include substantial fines or prosecution under environmental legislation, the loss of essential operating licences, and significant reputational damage that can impact client trust and long‑term credibility.
