Back to basics

Careful handling of the waste products from your dental practice is essential to ensure the safety of clinicians, patients, and the wider environment. Numerous guidelines are in place to ensure waste items are appropriately managed – with dedicated pathways for those that can be recycled, treated, incinerated, or sent to landfill.

Given the broad range of waste generated in the dental practice, effective segregation is important for the safe and efficient treatment of this waste. This requires consistency among staff, as it only works when everyone contributes. However, it can be difficult to remember which waste items should be separated for which treatment method, which is where the colour code comes in. This provides a simple way to identify waste items according to the level of risk they present, as well as the appropriate disposal methods for those items. Dental professionals should take the time to refresh their knowledge of the colour code waste system to optimise clinical waste management within the practice.