20.01.14
CIWM publishes new health waste guidance
Waste auditing guidance is now available for large healthcare producers, developed by the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM). The guidance covers pre-acceptance waste audits, as required by the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
It will help producers to ensure that wastes are sent for the correct treatment and disposal, with robust auditing and reporting practices to ensure compliance. Following the guidance could bring significant cost savings, as well as a reduction of the NHS’s carbon footprint.
Mat Crocker, head of illegals & waste for the Environment Agency, said: “It is essential that producers of waste correctly segregate and describe their waste to ensure that it is managed correctly and gets to the right place. This guidance for producers of healthcare waste sets out how waste audits can help producers both to fulfil their requirements and to enable their waste management contractor to comply with their legal obligations. The Environment Agency welcomes this publication and the work that CIWM has put into its production.”
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has also endorsed the guidance. Environmental services manager Victoria Sawford said: “I believe this will be a very useful tool, especially for those who are new to the waste management sector.
“It not only highlights the legal requirements but also provides a step-by-step approach to the audit methodology, as well as enabling the user to make an informed decision with regards to the packaging, collection, storage, transportation and disposal routes for the various waste types produced within the healthcare environment.”
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