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Offensive
Waste Management - Driven by Sustainability

 

When done correctly, offensive waste management is one of the most cost-effective ways for healthcare facilities to compliantly drive positive sustainability outcomes within healthcare waste. We can help you segregate better.

Understanding what offensive waste is and how to use the waste stream to avoid the overtreatment of waste is crucial for all healthcare organisations. Offensive waste has largely been ignored by traditional waste companies because ultimately, ‘diversion from infectious waste impacts the bottom line’. Sharpsmart has the solutions to help you use the offensive waste stream to achieve the 20-20-60 waste split target.

At Sharpsmart, our passion is restoring the balance of safe and sustainable healthcare waste management, which is why our offensive waste service aims to reduce overall costs and environmental impact for hospitals and care facilities whilst improving segregation.

Request a quote or contact us for more details about our offensive waste management solutions.

 

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How to Dispose of Offensive Waste

 

Ensuring correct segregation for compliant offensive waste disposal is a critical component of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy. Compliance with the Healthcare Technical Memorandum HTM 07-01 not only reduces your overall waste costs but also minimises the environmental impact, which can be significant if not managed properly.

Here are detailed steps on how to correctly dispose of offensive waste:

 

Identify and Segregate

 

It’s essential to correctly identify offensive waste and segregate it accordingly. It’s the most commonly over-classified waste in the healthcare environment, often incorrectly disposed of in the infectious, orange bag waste stream. Correct segregation involves knowing which waste goes into which bin, this helps determine the appropriate treatment and disposal method required.

 

Use the Correct Bin

 

Place all identified offensive waste into the correct bin. Offensive waste bins are lined with a yellow sack with black stripes – also referred to as a tiger sack. You may find these bags inside a rigid bin with a yellow and black colour-coded sticker or label. Sharpsmart’s Bag-to-Bed system can help you introduce and support the offensive waste stream to achieve the highest levels of segregation at the point of generation.

 

Where Does Offensive Waste Go? Professional Collection Options

 

Sharpsmart is a certified waste contractor and we use refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) and regularly scheduled pickups to collect your offensive waste in bulk, ensuring it’s transported and treated sustainably at a local outlet with minimal road miles.

 

What Happens to Offensive Waste? Treatment and Disposal

 

Wondering what happens to your offensive waste after we collect it?As long as it’s been segregated correctly (which we can help you with), we guarantee 100% diversion from landfill – ALL of your offensive waste will go directly to be converted into energy. We only work with trusted and permitted energy-from-waste facilities to dispose of offensive waste and we’ve completed a duty of care visit with any site we’re partnered with. And considering we treat some clinical waste ourselves, we know what to look for on a duty of care visit.

 

Environmental Considerations

 

The successful introduction and support of the offensive waste stream can result in substantial cost savings but it must be done correctly and in compliance with healthcare waste regulations. Mismanagement and bad segregation practices can result in costly non-conformance and the loss of disposal options.

Sharpsmart works closely with clinical staff to help improve segregation at the point of generation with minimal behavioural change, resulting in significant carbon footprint reductions.

Try Our Offensive Waste Management Service | Maximise Segregation and Diversion

 

REDUCED CARBON FOOTPRINT

By diverting the majority of your healthcare waste away from the carbon-intensive treatments it can be disposed of via energy-from-waste resulting in significantly lower CO2e.

 

IMPROVED COMPLIANCE 

Our blended learning approach to providing training and education and working alongside your teams within the four walls will improve compliance awareness and segregation.

 

IMMEDIATE COST REDUCTION 

The treatment options for the offensive waste stream cost less than those used for the infectious waste orange bag stream – where over-classified offensive waste usually ends up.

Browse Our Clinically Engineered Products

Tiger Striped Offensive Waste Bags

Made for the collection of non-infectious medical waste, classified as 'offensive' waste 
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Offensive Waste Bin Label

Designed for application on offensive waste bins. Simple outline of what constitutes offensive waste.
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The 5 Moments of Waste Disposal Using the Bag-To-Bedside System

Educating users on the five moments of safe waste disposal using the Bag to Bedside system 
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Bag Dispenser

This small compact bag dispenser can be direct-mounted onto the wall for easy retrieval of plastic bags.
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Offensive Bag Dispenser Label

The label outlines what waste is permitted to be disposed of in the offensive waste stream. 
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S14 | Sharpsmart Reusable Sharps Container

14 Litre container for sharps contamined with medicinal and chemical products. Fitted with a counterweighted safety tray and 'no-hands' acc...
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S22 | Sharpsmart Container for Non-Medicinal Sharps

22 Litre Sharps container for non-medicinally contaminated sharps, with inbuilt no-hands-access safety tray.
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S32 | Sharpsmart Reusable Sharps Container

32 Litre reusable container for medicinally contaminated sharps; features an inbuilt counterweighted safety tray.
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Total Healthcare Waste Partner Flyer

An introduction into how our partnership works, working alongside your current waste contractor. 
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Offensive Bag Dispenser Label

The label outlines what waste is permitted to be disposed of in the offensive waste stream. 
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The Cartsmart

Enabling point-of-use positioning of all Sharpsmart S-Series sharps, cytotoxic and pharmaceutical containers. 
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Glove Box Holder - Small

Holding up to 3 glove boxes, the holder mounts directly onto the Sharpsmart Accessmart trolley for point-of-use access.
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Top Tray Kit

Fastens to both side mounting points of an Accessmart trolley and holds small procedural items to enable point-of-use care.
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Verify Waste Identification Flyer

The Verify online waste categorisation platform delivers instant waste identification for point-of-use segregation
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Waste Segregation Matrix Poster

This educative colour-coded waste matrix outlines correct containers and contents for disposal of all streams of healthcare waste.
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80-20 Trends Audit Flyer

Our 80/20 trends audit focuses on the 20% of departments that produce around 80% of your total waste to determine cost savings and sustaina...
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The Four Walls Brochure

Introducing you to our four walls approach; driving safety and environmental change from WITHIN healthcare. 
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Verify Waste Identification Flyer

The Verify online waste categorisation platform delivers instant waste identification for point-of-use segregation
Details

80-20 Trends Audit Flyer

Our 80/20 trends audit focuses on the 20% of departments that produce around 80% of your total waste to determine cost savings and sustaina...
Details

The Four Walls Brochure

Introducing you to our four walls approach; driving safety and environmental change from WITHIN healthcare. 
Details
BROWSE ALL PRODUCTS

"We've seen a 20% waste reduction..."

The introduction of the Bag to Bedside system has not only created a cleaner ward environment and more pleasurable patient experience, it has ensured that we have made significant reductions in both waste treatment costs and clinical waste output. Initial estimates following rollout show that we have diverted close to 50% of orange bag waste to the offensive and domestic waste streams, which has resulted in a 20% reduction in our costs for these waste streams.

Jeff Trevor, Waste Manager

University Hospitals of the North Midlands NHS Trust

"Exceptional Training..."

For a number of years I have had the pleasure of having Sharpsmart as a service provider and throughout the years I have been impressed with their commitment to customer service. We have not only been the recipient of good quality service, our staff have been provided exceptional training by informative and dedicated staff. Our questions and issues are always addressed in a timely manner and the team at Sharpsmart have always gone above and beyond our expectations.

Catherine Lockwood, Manager – Customer Support Services

Joseph Brant Hospital

"Sustainability is Incredible..."

We've used Sharpsmart for over four years. The traceable sustainability of the Sharpsmart containers is incredible.

Clare Topping, Energy & Sustainability Manager

Northampton General Hospital

"Vacsmart. Reduces waste..."

We use the Vacsmart system on multiple wards for both clinical and general waste and have found it to be extremely effective in helping to reduce waste volumes across both areas. As well as being environmentally-friendly, the system also helps to reduce waste movements and “portering” time – both of which are invaluable benefits for any healthcare facility.

Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

"Always there to help..."

The Sharpsmart team are committed to us as a customer and are a pleasure to deal with. I would highly recommend them.

Sandra Fenwick, Waste Officer

Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust


Our Process of Engagement 

If you are interested in finding out how Sharpsmart can drive significant cost and environmental impact reductions through the introduction and/or management of your offensive waste stream, this is what 'next steps' will look like as we explore our partnership together. 

FAQ's

Is offensive waste collected by licensed waste collectors?
Offensive waste should only be processed and disposed of by licensed waste collectors/facilities and will typically be collected by a registered waste service provider.
What colour is an offensive waste bin?
Offensive waste should only be placed in yellow and black ‘Tiger’ striped bags which may be found inside a rigid bin with a yellow and black colour-coded sticker or label.
Can offensive waste be recycled?
There are currently no technologies for recycling offensive waste, however, in line with the waste hierarchy, diverting offensive waste from landfill to energy-from-waste is the most sustainable treatment option available.
What is involved in offensive waste disposal?
Offensive waste disposal starts with correct segregation at the point of generation to avoid overclassification and overtreatment – leading to an increased carbon footprint and higher costs.
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