§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department issues to(a) local authorities and (b) other parties on the disposal of household waste including needles used by diabetics in landfill sites; and if she will make a statement. [17461]
§ Mr. MeacherWhere people regularly self-inject at home, used syringes should not be disposed of in the domestic waste. Disposal arrangements should be made with local hospitals, health centres, clinics, local authorities or pharmacists. Syringes disposed of via these routes will be incinerated rather than sent to landfill. Guidance on the safe disposal of clinical waste has been issued by the Health and Safety Commission. The Environment Agency has issued supplementary guidance on managing waste from healthcare activities.
§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the potential hazards to refuse collectors posed by the inclusion of needles used by diabetics in household refuse; and if she will make a statement. [17457]
§ Mr. MeacherMy Department has made no such assessment. Where people regularly self-inject at home, used syringes should not be disposed of in the domestic waste. Disposal arrangements for used syringes can be made with local hospitals, health centres, clinics, local authorities or pharmacists. Syringes disposed of via these routes will be incinerated rather than sent to landfill. Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Human Health Regulations 1999, employers are required to assess 847W and adequately control the risks to employees from clinical waste. Guidance on good practice is contained in the HSE publication "Safe Disposal of Clinical Waste".