Clinical Waste

We provide a free and confidential clinical waste collection service to our residents.

  • This service is provided exclusively to domestic properties for infectious waste and sharps, as a result of self-treatment.
  • Any waste resulting from treatment by a healthcare worker, within the home, must be removed by the healthcare worker, as it is not household waste.

Infectious waste includes used medical dressings contaminated with body fluids or blood/pus e.g. swabs/soiled surgical dressings/wound drains etc. and is collected in an orange sack.

Sharps waste includes used needles and lancets etc. and is collected in a yellow sharps box. Purple-lidded sharps boxes are also provided where needed.

You do not need a clinical waste collection for the following waste: 

  • Nappies and incontinence pads
  • Stoma bags, urine containers and catheters where there is no risk of blood contamination
  • Non-infectious dressings
  • Packaging or other household waste 

All of this waste must be put in your black household waste bin. If you have any clean and dry cardboard packaging, put this in your brown recycling bin. You can apply for extra bin capacity if you are producing additional waste - for more information, see: extra bin capacity

New Customers - to receive a collection, your GP, district nurse or other local health professional must register you for the service. Once we receive the request form, we will be in contact with you to set up a collection. Collections take place on a Thursday or Friday.

Existing Customers - if you are already registered to receive this service, you can manage your collections using My Test Valley or by calling Customer Services on 01264 368000 or 01794 527700. Please only book a collection when your sharps box is full to the line indicated on the side of the box. If you need to pause a regular collection e.g. for a holiday, please let us know by emailing the Environmental Service or by calling the number above.

Your data: We need to make you aware that in order to provide this service to you, we will need to retain your name, address and telephone number together with details of the type of clinical waste container that we will be collecting from you.