In an aesthetic procedure environment, there is typically a number of different types of waste being generated on a daily basis. Each of these waste streams will need to be disposed of differently, and some pose certain risks that need to be understood by staff. As such, it is important to refresh your knowledge of effective waste disposal to keep yourself, employees and patients safe, while also minimising a clinic's impact on the environment.
Colour coded for convenience
The Department of Health and Social Care has a specific colour code for best practice waste management that aims to make the different types of waste and their disposal methods clear. It is likely that most clinics already follow this system, but if not, it is a good opportunity to simplify waste management processes, especially as the colours that represent each waste stream are distinct and easy to remember (Department of Health and Social Care, 2013).
Clinical infectious waste
One of the main waste streams practitioners are bound to encounter in an aesthetic setting is clinical infectious waste. Represented by orange in the colour code, this waste stream includes any item that has come into contact with potentially infectious substances such as blood, but that may be treated to render them safe prior to disposal.
Examples may include:
As mentioned, this waste can be treated to make it safe, but may also be incinerated. This is important to remember because if clinical infectious waste is improperly disposed of, it could spread potentially dangerous infectious diseases that may pose a threat to public health.
Highly infectious clinical waste
Represented by yellow in the colour code, this waste stream differs from orange in a number of crucial ways. Highly infectious clinical waste is anything that comes into contact with bodily fluids from someone who is carrying, or who is suspected to be carrying, an infectious disease.
» Proper waste disposal is paramount to avoid the risk of infectious outbreaks and to lessen the impact your clinic has on the wider world «
Again, examples may include:
This waste absolutely must be incinerated, and therefore needs to be disposed of separately so that pathogens are not given the chance to spread. If this waste is incorrectly disposed of, this could lead to some serious legal repercussions for the waste generator, not to mention the effect it could have on anyone who comes into contact with the waste, as there is a risk of them becoming infected with very serious transmissible diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.
Cytotoxic/cytostatic waste
Botulinum toxin injections are likely to be popular at most, if not all, aesthetic clinics. In recent years, there has been a boom in these treatments, and according to some news reports, younger patients are considering the procedure in an effort to preserve youthful looks for longer (Rudavsky, 2017).
Botulinum toxin injections are one of the few cytostatic waste substances that practitioners are likely to encounter. This type of waste is represented by purple in the colour code. This category covers all medicines/substances that affect the cells in the body. Such substances can be very dangerous, as they can kill cells in any living organisms, meaning that they will be potentially fatal to any wildlife that come into contact with them if they have not been disposed of safely.
Purple waste includes:
Waste contaminated by cytostatic/cytotoxic substances must be incinerated.
Medicinal waste
Medicinal waste includes any medications or drugs which have gone out-of-date or that need disposal. This excludes any cytostatic/cytotoxic drugs as these are counted as purple waste.
Examples include:
Categorised as blue waste, it is important to dispose of medicinal substances properly as they can be dangerous. People may find improperly disposed of medicines and attempt to sell them, or any out-of-date medicines could be consumed and have dangerous side effects. As such, this waste stream requires incineration after disposal to prevent these items falling into the wrong hands.
Municipal waste
Whether it is lunch packaging or plastic cups in the waiting room, clinics are also likely to generate a high volume of municipal waste. This waste stream is represented by the colour black in the colour code.
Typical municipal waste includes:
The important thing to remember is to sort this waste accordingly—if anything can be recycled, this should be separated. The rest must be placed into black bags and thrown away as usual, ready for landfill. As landfill sites are open to the air, infectious substances can easily come into contact with animals or humans in these locations, so correct segregation is crucial.
Offensive waste
The last type of waste is offensive waste. This waste stream is represented by the tiger stripe colours in the colour code.
Some examples of offensive waste include:
This waste may be recycled, incinerated or deep landfilled. Although it arguably will not cause the outbreak of disease, this waste still needs to be carefully disposed of, as it may be perceived as offensive to someone who encounters it.
Know what to do
Proper waste disposal is paramount to avoid the risk of infectious outbreaks and to lessen the impact your clinic has on the wider world. As such, it is important to keep your training up to date to ensure that all members of staff are on the same page. It is also a good opportunity to check your current clinic protocols and see if there are any improvements to be made. There are plenty of resources available that can help staff to understand the colour code more clearly. By consulting these, you can ensure that everyone knows what waste goes where and can dispose of each waste stream properly.