Dental waste disposal guide

A dental account is usually several containers: an infectious bag, a UN sharps bin and, where amalgam is used or removed, a hazardous pot. Teeth with amalgam stay with the mercury stream. Medicines that are no longer for a patient go in a medicines container. Bio Waste can support practices that produce those streams. This page is not a list of practices we already collect from.

The mix a chair and a decontamination room produce. It is a producer type, not one bag colour. Amalgam waste must be collected by an authorised establishment and must not be released to the environment.

The usual streams

  • Infectious soft waste — Orange or yellow bag — Only items assessed as infectious
  • Sharps — UN bin, lid colour per assessment — Needles, burs, wires, cartridges
  • Amalgam and separator waste — Approved amalgam pot — Hazardous. Consignment note.
  • Offensive waste — Tiger-stripe, if used — Non-infectious PPE or hygiene waste

Amalgam and mercury

The Control of Mercury (Enforcement) Regulations 2017 require amalgam waste to be collected by an authorised establishment. It must not go down a drain or into a clinical sack. Practices that no longer place amalgam can still produce it when old fillings are removed or a separator is emptied. Say so on the enquiry.

Examples

  • Hygienist-only room: May need bags and sharps even if no amalgam is placed. Do not assume a “small” room is municipal waste.
  • Oral surgery: Tissue or teeth without amalgam are not the same as amalgam pots. Pathological items are quoted only where that stream exists.
  • Group with several postcodes: Each site is accepted or declined on its own round. We would rather decline one address than miss a fortnight.

Paperwork

A completed collection is written up. Amalgam movements are hazardous and use a consignment note. Infectious bags are documented as the classification requires. Check carrier CBDU642850 on the Environment Agency register before the first handover.

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Frequently asked questions

Does this page mean Bio Waste already collects from local dentists?

No. It describes how the waste should be packed and how a quote is taken. The industry page is the site-type offer, not a customer directory.

Which Birmingham page should a practice use?

The Birmingham dental collection page if the job is chairs, sharps and amalgam. The Birmingham town page if the site is mixed healthcare as well as dentistry.

Bio Waste Solutions Group · Environment Agency carrier CBDU642850 · +44 7495 192759 · Request a quote · Company information