Healthcare and sharps waste

Managing medical waste at home is important for your safety and others. Some items - like needles, dressings, and certain medicines - can’t be disposed of in your usual bins or recycling. This page explains what counts as healthcare waste, how to handle it safely, and the correct ways to dispose of it.

Some medical waste from home can’t go in your normal bin or recycling. It needs special disposal.

This includes:

  • Sharps – needles, syringes, lancets
  • Infectious waste – dressings or bandages with blood or body fluids
  • Dialysis waste – fluid bags and treatment items
  • Special medicine waste – items in purple‑lidded sharps boxes

Clinical waste collections

If a nurse or healthcare professional treats you at home, they should advise you on what to do with your clinical waste and how it should be handled.

You should follow their guidance first. In some cases, they may tell you to arrange a collection through Norwich City Council. If they do, or if you have not been given clear advice, we may be able to help.

We may be able to arrange collection for certain types of medical waste, including:

  • Used dressings and wound care items
  • Bandages or swabs with bodily fluids
  • Dialysis waste
  • Other medical waste that needs special handling

If your healthcare professional has advised you to contact us, or you’re unsure what to do, get in touch for advice.

Do not put this type of waste in your normal bins or recycling.

Sharps disposal (needles, etc.)

If you use injections at home, you can usually take your sealed sharps box to a pharmacy for free but always check your sharps box lid colour before going.

What pharmacies accept:

  • Needles
  • Syringes
  • Lancets (finger‑prick devices)
  • Other similar sharps used at home

What they do NOT accept:

  • Purple‑lidded sharps boxes
  • Infectious waste
  • Dialysis waste
  • Any waste needing specialist disposal

Participating pharmacies

Residents can take standard sharps boxes to the following pharmacies free of charge:

Pharmacy Name Address Postcode
Bowthorpe Pharmacy 10 Wendene, Bowthorpe, Norwich NR5 9HA
Morrisons Pharmacy 4 Albion Way, Riverside Retail Park, Norwich NR1 1WU
Woodside Pharmacy Thorpewood Medical Centre, 140 Woodside Road, Norwich NR7 9QL
Boots Pharmacy 124 Merchants Hall, Lower Ground, Chantry Place Shopping Centre, Norwich NR2 1SH
Boots Pharmacy 34–36 London Street, Norwich NR2 1LD
Boots Pharmacy 562A Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8TU
Boots Pharmacy 78 Hall Road, Norwich NR1 3HP
Boots Pharmacy Castle Quarter Shopping Centre, Norwich NR1 3DD
Boots Pharmacy Unit 5, Riverside Retail Park, Albion Way, Norwich NR1 1WR

Sharps box colours

  • Yellow lid → Normal sharps (take to a pharmacy)
  • Purple lid → Special medical waste (needs specialist disposal)

Purple‑lidded sharps boxes

We are currently working with our partners to finalise disposal options. Until these arrangements are confirmed, please contact us via the contact form if you require guidance.
 
  • Do NOT put in your bin or recycling
  • Do NOT take to a pharmacy

Safety tips

  • Never put loose needles in bins
  • Always use a proper sharps container
  • Close the container securely before moving it
  • Keep it away from children and pets
  • Never put infectious or dialysis waste in normal bins
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