Posted on 5-April-2023   by Daniels Healthcare

SHARPSGUARD® Lid colours and what they mean – England & Wales

Original published on 6-Mar-2013. Updated 14-Dec-2021. Updated 5-Apr-2023

All of our SHARPSGUARD® containers have lids that are colour-coded for very important reasons.

Each type of our customers’ waste needs to be disposed of, and handled, differently. Our colour-coded system ensures that the person handling and disposing of the waste or sharp knows exactly which container or bin to use and why.

Accurate waste disposal not only leads to safer working practices, it also reduces environmental harm and helps to reduce costs.

We provide a colour-coded system for Daniels Healthcare SHARPSGUARD® products to support our customers in correctly following HTM 07-01 guidance and to enable them to meet best practice guidelines.

Alongside our free audits and clear labelling, this is one of the most effective ways to ensure the safe and effective management of waste in healthcare.

You can watch this video or read the descriptions below.

Please note that these definitions are applicable to England and Wales, click on the countries for guidance for Scotland or Northern Ireland.

 

Please note that these definitions are applicable to England and Wales:

The SHARPSGUARD® eco cyto range is for the disposal of sharps contaminated with cytotoxic and/or cytostatic medicinal products and their residues (anything that changes a cell structure).

The SHARPSGUARD® eco yellow range is for the disposal of sharps contaminated with medicinal products and their residues other than cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines.

The SHARPSGUARD® eco orange range is for the disposal of sharps not contaminated with medicinal products and their residues, such as needles used to take bloods, scalpel blades, or contaminated broken glass.

The SHARPSGUARD® eco anatomical range is for the disposal of anatomical waste, includes body parts or other recognisable anatomical items such as that may be offensive to those who come into contact with such items.

The SHARPSGUARD® eco pharmi range is for the safe collection, transportation and disposal of solid medicinal waste in its original packaging e.g. pills in a blister pack. The blue lidded container is for the disposal of medicine excluding those that are cytotoxic or cytostatic, whilst the purple lidded container is for the disposal of cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines.

---

If you have any questions relating to waste segregation or our SHARPSGUARD® containers, please give our Customer Support team a call on 01865 371 841 or contact your area manager.