Opticians and Eye Clinic Waste Management
There are more than 6,000 opticians’ businesses in the UK helping us see clearly and protecting our vision. If you’re an optometrist or run any kind of eye clinic then one thing to keep an eye on is the waste your practice creates and what happens to it. It must be managed properly – from old glasses to expired medication.
Opticians have a legal duty of care to ensure waste is stored, removed, and disposed of responsibly, just like any other business. Secure waste storage and regular removal are essential to maintain a clean, hygienic, and safe environment that’s even more important as a healthcare provider.
At Business Waste we can provide free bins to store all sorts of waste that your vision clinic produces, you only pay for collection. Licensed waste carriers can remove your waste from anywhere in the UK at a suitable time for responsible disposal. Learn more below or call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today for a free quote.
Get your free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for your opticians waste removal
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of opticians waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Types of eye clinic waste
Eye clinics and opticians generate a wide variety of clinical waste types as healthcare providers. This includes everything from PPE worn during check-ups to expired or damaged medication and sharps. Segregation is essential to avoid contamination and exposure to potentially hazardous waste types by patients and other members of staff.
Examples of waste produced by opticians can include expired pharmaceuticals, minims, chloramphenicol eye drops, and tonometer probes. Eye clinics usually generate low levels of general waste and mixed recycling from staff and patients too. These are the main kinds of waste that opticians create:
- Clinical waste – opticians may produce various kinds of medical refuse, often including cytotoxic and cytostatic waste, infectious, and offensive waste.
- Pharmaceutical waste – expired, damaged, or unusable medication of any kind.
- Sharps waste – knives, scalpels, needles, scissors, and any other sharp instruments.
- General waste – non-recyclable packaging and food scraps from staff or patient lunches and snacks.
- Dry mixed recycling – cardboard packaging, paper, recyclable plastic and metal packaging (like drinks cans and yoghurt pots).
How to manage waste
in an opticians
Opticians must abide by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to manage waste safely, legally, and responsibly. As a business, any rubbish your eye clinic produces will class as commercial waste. You have a duty of care to ensure this is segregated, stored, removed, and disposed of properly.
Start by conducting a waste audit to assess what types and volumes of waste you create regularly. Then you can use this information to build an effective waste management plan that covers everything from how and where waste from your opticians will be stored to who will remove it and the costs involved.
Ensure you have a range of bins in place across your practice to store all waste. These should be close to the specific waste production point and of a suitable size to store the volume of each waste type produced. This prevents overflowing bins and potential hygiene issues from developing.
You must arrange for a licensed waste carrier to remove the bins full of commercial waste from your opticians. It’s your responsibility to check they’re authorised and use the correct disposal method. You should receive a duty of care certificate confirming the safe disposal of your waste.
Bins for eye clinic waste
We can provide a wide range of free bins for your opticians to store waste safely on-site before it’s collected. There are no delivery or rental fees – you just pay for collection. Bins range in type and size, from small sharps bins to clinical waste bags and wheelie bins for general waste and recycling.
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Clinical waste bins
Clinical waste bins are suitable containers to store all sorts of medical waste safely.
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Sharps bins
Use sharps bins with different coloured lids for needles, syringes, scalpels, and knives.
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Clinical waste bags
Clinical waste bags to store medical waste safely before collection and disposal.
How does optometrist waste collection work?
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Select your free bins
It’s quick and easy to organise commercial waste collection for your business.
Simply start by telling us the:
- Type of waste you need removing
- Size of bins you require
- Number of bins you want
We’ll provide you with a free quote.
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Arrange delivery
When you’re happy with the type, number, and size of free bins, tell us when you need your bins delivering.
Let us know about any access issues where you want the bins delivering – such as locked gates, access codes and times. We’ll get you up and running in no time.
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Fill up your bin
After the free bins arrive at your chosen location, fill them up with the agreed waste type.
Make sure you remain within any weight limits for the specific waste type and bin size.
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Get your business waste collected
We’ll arrange waste collection at a time and frequency to suit you and the amount of waste you have.
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What happens to waste
from an opticians?
All bins from your opticians will be removed by licensed waste carriers and transported to a nearby waste management facility. It’s then sorted into waste streams based on the material and sent for further processing and disposal away from landfill. What happens to the waste from your optometrist practice depends on its type and any relevant regulations.
These are some common disposal methods for various types of waste from opticians:
- Incineration – any hazardous waste (including some clinical and pharmaceutical waste) will likely be incinerated in line with the hazardous waste regulations. This ensures the safe disposal of such waste to eliminate any risk of spreading infection or harming human or environmental health through exposure.
- Chemical treatment – some medical waste may be sent for chemical treatment so it can be reused in the future, such as certain types of sharps waste. This removes any infectious elements so the items can be reused safely.
- Recycling – any paper, cardboard, and recyclable packaging (such as aluminium drinks cans and some plastics) will be recycled. Glass from old pairs of spectacles should also be recycled as glass is infinitely recyclable. The plastic or metal frames may also be turned into new plastic or metal products.
Read our reviews
Fast and efficient delivery of waste bags, first class collection on the day as arrangedSandra Arkle
Concept Eye Clinic
I would first of all like to thank Matt who has made the setting up of our account and supported me every step of the way. Thank you Matt. Fast and efficient delivery of waste bags, first class collection on the day as arranged. We now have 3 of our branches under the care of Business Waste and would highly recommend their service.
Arrange waste collection
for your opticians
Book waste collection from your opticians anywhere in the UK with Business Waste. Enjoy free bins to store any type and amount of rubbish your practice creates – you only pay for collection. All waste is kept away from landfill and there are no rental or delivery fees.
Regular waste removal is available to work around your schedule, including daily, weekly, or fortnightly collections at a suitable time. Licensed waste carriers remove your waste and transport it to a nearby waste management centre for safe, legal, and responsible disposal. You get a free duty of care certificate confirming this for extra peace of mind.
Get started with a free no-obligation quote for waste collection from your eye clinic. Speak to one of our friendly experts about the needs of your opticians when it comes to waste, and they can help with any questions or concerns. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today.
Get a fast and free quote
Get a fast FREE quote for eye clinic waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of opticians waste
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK