Healthcare facilities produce large amounts of waste. WHO estimates that around 85% of it is general, non-hazardous waste, while about 15% is hazardous: infectious, sharp, chemical, pharmaceutical or radioactive. When waste isn’t separated properly, hazardous waste contaminates general waste, cleaners and waste handlers are injured by hidden needles, and communities face infection and pollution risks. Nurses generate much of this waste, so segregation at the point of use is a core nursing responsibility.
Categories of healthcare waste
- General (non-hazardous): packaging, paper, food waste, uncontaminated items.
- Infectious: items contaminated with blood or body fluids, dressings, waste from isolation rooms, laboratory cultures.
- Sharps: needles, scalpels, lancets, broken glass ampoules, IV cannula stylets.
- Pathological: tissues, organs, placentas.
- Pharmaceutical: expired or unused medicines.
- Cytotoxic: chemotherapy drugs and contaminated items.
- Chemical: disinfectants, laboratory reagents, mercury from broken thermometers.
- Radioactive.
Colour coding
Colour codes differ between countries. WHO’s guidance suggests a common scheme (e.g. black for general waste, yellow for infectious waste, yellow sharps containers marked “SHARPS”, brown for chemical/pharmaceutical), but some countries use different colours (for example, orange bags in parts of the UK for infectious waste suitable for alternative treatment, purple for cytotoxic). Always learn and follow your facility’s system, especially if you’ve moved country.
Sharps safety
- Never recap needles by hand. If recapping is unavoidable (rare circumstances), use a one-handed scoop technique or device.
- Dispose of sharps immediately at the point of use: take the sharps container to the bedside.
- The person who uses the sharp disposes of it.
- Use safety-engineered devices where available, and activate the safety mechanism.
- Don’t overfill containers: close them at the fill line (usually about three-quarters full).
- Assemble containers correctly and label them.
- Never push waste down into a sharps container or bag with your hands.
- Never leave sharps in beds, trays, linen or bins.
If injured, follow our needlestick guide immediately.
Good segregation habits
- Have the right bins close to where waste is produced.
- Put only infectious waste in infectious bags; general waste in infectious bins drives up costs and environmental impact.
- Fill bags no more than about three-quarters; tie securely and label with ward/origin.
- Don’t place loose sharps or liquids in bags.
- Return unused medicines to pharmacy; never throw them in general waste or down sinks.
Blood and body fluid spills
- Wear gloves, apron and eye protection if splashing is likely.
- Use a spill kit: absorb the spill, then disinfect (often with a chlorine-based solution at the concentration specified by local policy).
- Dispose of materials as infectious waste.
- Clean the area and perform hand hygiene.
Mercury
Many countries are phasing out mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices under the Minamata Convention. If one breaks, don’t use a vacuum or broom; ventilate the area and follow the spill procedure.
Protect the people downstream
Porters, cleaners, waste handlers and, in some places, waste pickers at dumpsites face the consequences of poor segregation. Your careful habits protect them, and the environment. Speak up if bins are unavailable or waste is being burned unsafely.
Based on WHO “Safe management of wastes from health-care activities” and WHO health-care waste fact sheet. Educational content: follow national and local policies.