Waste, by definition is a by-product of what you do, and something that generates costs to your organisation, whether a dental practice, care home or hospital. Finding the right solution to your clinical waste needs is however not simply a matter of looking at per unit/kilo disposal rates. At Citron Hygiene we use our years of experience in clinical waste disposal to help you get the best clinical waste disposal solution for your organisation and minimize your total costs.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Assessing the scale and type of waste.
Understanding the make up of your waste and the relative volumes are obviously very important in determining the right solution. With regulations evolving it is important in this first step to ensure that you and your staff are classifying your waste in the right way. Citron provide a full range of legislation guidance online as well as our highly trained staff being able to advise on your site. It is also important that your staff understand the different waste classifications and your organisation’s legal requirements. Putting waste into the wrong containers can not only increase your costs unnecessarily but also lead to problems with non-compliance. You can print off and use a full range of waste segregation posters that you can put up in staff areas to help educate your team. Confident in the knowledge that you are classifying your waste correctly you can then accurately measure your usage in each area for your audit.
Step 2: Number and sizes of containers required
Your organisation is unique and your individual operation and premises will need to be taken into account when assessing the size and numbers of containers required. For example, if you are a dentist you are likely to need a sharps bin in every consulting room, but you probably don’t need a container for disposing of gypsum dental moulds in every consulting room. For care homes you may not want tiger bags containing offensive waste in the areas that your guests frequent, but instead you may use incontinence bins accompanied with an external cart to discreetly store waste prior to collection.
We understand that you do not want to have any more physical space taken up by waste containers than you need, but you need to ensure that you have the right container for the right waste to meet your legislative requirements. For this reason we offer a wide range of different sizes of container so that you can pick containers that meet your needs. You may choose to have different size containers for different rooms, even though the waste type is the same; we are happy to provide this level of flexibility.
Step 3: Service Level Required
HTM_07-01 Safe management of healthcare waste states that collections should be at an appropriate frequency, so no specific guidance is given on frequency of services. Hazardous waste should not be kept on site for too long and it is important waste is contained and stored securely and that waste should never overflow from storage areas or carts. Citron works hard to develop plans that give you the best possible service level with value for money.
Step 4: Assessing the Total Cost
Your total cost of clinical waste disposal is not simply the service cost. We know that the running of your premises mean that you have a square foot cost of using space for differing needs. Within some organisations space is not an issue but for others it is at a real premium. Smaller waste containers and a more frequent service may increase the cost of your waste service but may be better value overall if it allows you to free up valuable space for other uses. Changing your waste management processes could also improve the presentation of your organisation. Changing container specifications and locations can present a better place to your service users, with a knock on economic benefit. The quality and reliability of a service needs to be assessed. If your current provider is letting you down – being late, missing containers, not providing pristine & properly labeled containers, all of these have an effect on your organisation. Citron Hygiene became a leading hygiene services provider by not simply providing the services at the lowest cost, but by giving its customers the very best level of service, reliability and care. Finally you can consider options for consolidating your waste and hygiene services. With our broad service offering we can combine servicing your waste needs with other vital elements of your hygiene program from washroom services to floorcare. This can provide you with a superior overall service as well as providing you the benefit from economies of scale.
Contact waste disposal experts
If your business produces clinical waste then it needs to be disposed of correctly. Contact Citron Hygiene to find out more about our professional waste management services.
