Optometry Compliance

For Optometry Compliance in Wales

Natural UK provide an overview of the waste types and the associated packaging and segregation requirements for optometry and audiology waste in line with UK Guidance and Legislation, alongside free compliance audits for your business.

Are you compliant?

Welsh Government’s proposed reform for the provision of, and improved access to, ophthalmic services through the expansion of eye care services delivered on the high street by optometrists will result in an increase in clinical healthcare waste being produced at these sites. The proposals are summarised in NHS Wales’ document ‘NHS Wales Eye Health Care – Future Approach for Optometry Services’.

Optometrists are classified as producers of healthcare waste and as such they are subject to the requirements of the Welsh Health Technical Memorandum (WHTM) 07-01 in Wales, and the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 07-01 in England. As Hazardous waste is generated in optometry, opticians are also subject to the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005.

healthcare

This information page seeks to provide an overview of the waste types and the associated packaging and segregation requirements for optometry waste in line with UK Guidance and Legislation.

In addition to proper segregation and packaging, waste pre-Acceptance Audits are a legal requirement for collections of healthcare waste for treatment or disposal by a permitted facility. Audits demonstrate compliance with regulations for both the waste producer (e.g. opticians) and the waste management contractor and provide documented evidence that Duty of Care has been met.

Did you know that if your practice conducts domiciliary services, you are still required to have the compliant waste receptacles for each healthcare waste stream that may be produced, Pre-Acceptance Audits are still required, and you must be registered as a Lower Tier Waste Carrier with NRW.

Offensive Hygiene Waste (Non-Hazardous)

Generated from Optometry

Offensive hygiene waste in a health care setting, such as an opticians, comprises waste that is non-clinical, non-infectious and does not contain pharmaceutical or chemical substances. This waste stream is classified under the European Waste Category (EWC) Code 18 01 04

In an opticians premises, this waste stream can include the following which could be contaminated with bodily fluid where the patient is deemed non-infectious:

PPE (such as disposable gloves, masks, aprons etc.)
Dressings or cotton pads etc.
Disposable tonometry heads (such as tonometer heads, tonopen sheaths, iCare probes, PVA spears)
Contact lenses

Infectious Clinical Waste (Hazardous)

Generated from Optometry

Clinical waste in a health care setting, such as an opticians, that is classified as infectious and hazardous in nature and does not contain chemical or medicinal contamination. This waste stream is classified under the European Waste Category (EWC) Code 18 01 03*

In an opticians premises, this waste stream can include the following which could be contaminated with bodily fluid where the patient is deemed to be infectious:

PPE (such as disposable gloves, masks, aprons etc.)
Dressings or cotton pads etc.
Disposable tonometry heads (such as tonometer heads, tonopen sheaths, iCare probes, PVA spears)
Contact lenses

Non-Hazardous waste must be placed in yellow bags with a black stripe, known as ‘Tiger Bags’. This waste can be disposed of via landfill, energy from waste and other authorised disposal or recovery, in line with the WHTM 07-01.

Bags-Orange

Hazardous waste must be placed in orange bags. This waste can be disposed of via alternative treatment or clinical waste incineration in line with WHTM 07-01.

Clinical Waste and Rigid Containers

Sharps-Colours-Yellow

Sharps Hazardous

Clinical infectious and pharmaceutically contaminated wastes (non-cytotoxic and non-cytostatic), such as sharps, are required to be disposed of in yellow lidded sharps boxes. This could include sharps used for removing corneal foreign bodies. This waste stream is classified under EWC code 18 01 03* and EWC 18 01 09 and must be disposed of via clinical waste incineration, in line with WHTM 07-01.

Sharps-Colours-Purple

Cytotoxic Hazardous

Clinical infectious waste that is medicinally contaminated with cytotoxic and cytostatic chemicals must be disposed of in purple lidded containers. This could comprise of chloramphenicol used to treat eye infections, which is cytotoxic. This waste stream is classified as 18 01 03* and 18 01 08* and must be disposed of via clinical waste incineration, in line with WHTM 07-01

Sharps-Colours-Blue

Pharmaceutical Non-Hazardous

Clinical pharmaceutical/medicinal waste (non-cytotoxic and non-cytostatic) must be disposed of in blue-lidded containers.This could comprise of out of date minims (such as dilation drops, anaesthetic drops, irrigating solutions etc.). This waste stream is classified under EWC 18 01 09 and must be disposed of via clinical waste incineration, in line with WHTM 07-01. It should be noted that empty plastic saline solution pods or empty contact lens plastic bottles can be recycled with other plastic waste.

Clinical-Infectious

Infectious and Chemically Contaminated Hazardous

Clinical infectious waste that is chemically contaminated must be disposed of in a yellow lidded rigid container. In optometry, this could include used fluorescein strips / dyes. As fluorescein strips contain fluorescein sodium; a chemical used as a diagnostic tool in optometry (not a pharmaceutically active medicine), used strips must be disposed of separately in line with the WHTM 07-01. This waste stream is classified by a dual EWC Code of 18 01 03* and 18 01 07 and must be disposed of via clinical waste incineration in line with the WHTM 07-01.