With the current threat of climate change, sustainable waste disposal solutions are more important than ever - particularly within the healthcare industry. Not only do green waste management practices help to preserve the environment, but they also reduce the risk of humans being affected by clinical waste.

At Vernacare, we're highly committed to sustainability, aiming to help healthcare providers reduce waste and their carbon footprint. By implementing our Sharpsafe bins into healthcare facilities, procurement teams can significantly diminish the environmental footprint of the healthcare industry.

Please get in touch today if you'd like to speak to our expert team about procuring our Sharpsafe disposal units for your facility.

How Can Sharpsafe Containers Contribute to Sustainable Waste Disposal Practices?

Sustainable waste management solutions have become vital in the modern world of healthcare, standing out as a key area for improvement within the industry. The safe disposal of sharps is a necessity for healthcare settings, enabling healthcare professionals to dispose of sharps products in an environmentally-friendly manner.

As a leader within the healthcare industry, we’re committed to the safe containment and disposal of hazardous clinical waste, promoting an environmentally conscious approach to waste reduction. 

Here are some other key ways in which sustainable sharps disposal practices can lessen the environmental impact of modern healthcare facilities.

From Design to Disposal: The Life Cycle of Our Sharpsafe Containers

Every step of the Sharpsafe box manufacturing process is planned out in great detail, enabling us to craft safe and durable products made from environmentally-friendly materials. The creation of our sharps boxes usually follows these steps:

• Sourcing: Before manufacture begins, our material is locally sourced in collaboration with WRAP Cymru, 15 miles from our manufacturing facility.
• Manufacturing: The life cycle of our Sharpsafe containers begins with the manufacturing process. With our new investment in two energy-efficient injection-moulding machines at our facility in Blackwood, we've improved our manufacturing sustainability. We also have zero waste to landfill from our factory, recycling any defected containers that don’t pass our internal quality standards. The material is reprocessed and reused, turning defective Sharpsafe containers into effective disposal boxes.
• Use: Sharpsafe containers are used in healthcare facilities to safeguard and protect healthcare professionals and patients from the risk of infection. Our sharps boxes are durable and feature numerous safety features, protecting people from injury and preventing environmental contamination. We also practise proper segregation with our sharps disposal containers, which is more sustainable than non-segregated methods. 
• Disposal: Once our Sharpsafe containers reach their capacity, they should be disposed of in compliance with local regulations. By properly disposing of our sharps boxes, clinical waste workers can reduce waste and ensure the contents do not pose a risk to the environment.

Closed-loop systems are also promoted by our Sharpsafe designs, supporting the transition to a circular economy focused on using recycled materials to make our sharps bins. With all of our products, we aim to maintain current environmental standards at every step of the journey - from manufacturing through to the end-of-life stage. 

Compliance with Regulatory Standards

The healthcare world is regulated by a number of legal bodies, providing guidance that healthcare workers must follow. For example, guidelines are administered by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) under ISO 23907-1:2019. All our Sharpsafe boxes are created to comply with ISO guidance for the safe containment and disposal of sharps items. 

One example of this is with our grey sharps boxes. We championed change with the ISO and worked with industry experts to ensure that grey would be an acceptable colour within clinical waste disposal management. Using the colour grey enabled us to increase the recycled content to 100%, showing our commitment to sustainability. 

The UN3291 (created by the United Nations) is a directive that regulates the transportation of hazardous waste by land. The UN3291 is mandatory, laying out specific guidelines that must be followed to ensure safety when transporting and disposing of hazardous healthcare waste.

We are also making moves in the Australian market and are pending with the AUS 23907 standard. This standard mandates that containers must minimise their impact on the environment - the materials used in construction should minimise harmful impacts to the environment during manufacture, distribution, use and ultimate disposal.

Our Sharpsafe containers are specifically designed to go above and beyond these regulations, ensuring that healthcare facilities meet the best practices for sustainable waste management. By aligning with the law, clinical professionals can prevent the release of hazardous waste into the environment, further contributing to sustainable waste disposal practices. 

At Vernacare, we are committed to sustainability, while also ensuring the highest standards of safety for patients and healthcare professionals.

Sustainable Materials and Designs

At Vernacare, we're committed to reducing our environmental impact by consistently using sustainable materials wherever possible, all while maintaining the highest safety standards for healthcare workers and patients. One example of this is with our Sharpsafe disposal containers. When compared to containers using virgin plastic, our Sharpsafe boxes have a 94% reduction in their carbon footprint.

In recent years, we've switched our manufacturing processes over to a more environmentally friendly basis, using low-carbon recycled materials to help healthcare brands and facilities achieve their net zero goals. Our solar panels also offset 13 tonnes of CO2 every year, showing our commitment to the environment. Our Sharpsafe disposal boxes are designed to optimise material usage, maintaining safety standards whilst also reducing the amount of plastic required for production.

We’re committed to sustainable waste management practices, aiming to change the world for the better with our innovative Sharpsafe products. 

An Efficient Waste Segregation Practice

When searching for a sustainable sharps disposal solution, efficiency is a must. At Vernacare, we promote an effective waste segregation solution, which is essential to sustainable waste management practices.

Proper waste segregation is crucial for saving lives. Incorrect waste management practices can lead to sharps injuries, environmental pollution, water contamination and exposure to harmful toxins and chemicals.

There are four main ways in which proper waste segregation practices can promote a culture of sustainability:

1. Infection control - Using robust sharps containers that meet regulatory standards minimises the risk of sharps injuries from occurring. Our single-use containers are made from 100% recycled materials and help to break the chain of infection at its source, allowing waste to be handled and disposed of correctly.
2. Pollution prevention - Clinical waste containers (such as our Sharpsafe disposal bins) prevent hazardous clinical waste from moving to landfills, which can cause harm to the environment and local wildlife.
3. Lower carbon emissions - Clinical waste is destined for incineration, which is burned at temperatures between 850-1000 degrees. This means that correctly segregating recyclable waste reduces the amount of carbon emissions created, reducing the impact on the planet.
4. Opportunities for recycling and recovery - By correctly segregating clinical waste, there are more opportunities for waste workers to recycle and recover items.

The proper segregation and management of clinical waste is extremely important in the healthcare world. At Vernacare, we have a selection of coloured lids that can help to meet any country’s waste segregation practices and guidance. We can also manufacture bespoke lid colours and labels to help meet waste needs and standards.

Vernacare’s Commitment to Sustainability

At Vernacare, sustainable waste disposal is incredibly important to us, making it a top priority for our future endeavours within the healthcare world. In recent years, we’ve received the Northern Sustainability Award, as well as being recognised with a Bronze Medal from EcoVadis. We also won the Infection Prevention Society ‘A Pitch in 5’ award in 2022, showing our commitment to the environment and sustainable infection prevention solutions within the healthcare sector.

Our Sharpsafe boxes offer efficient waste management solutions that prioritise safety, compliance and sustainability, providing a range of benefits to healthcare workers in the field.  

Please get in touch with a member of our team if you’d like to discuss your procurement options further.