Anenta urges action to protect healthcare staff from dangers of hazardous medical waste

A new academic report from the University of Oradea has placed a spotlight on the urgent need for the adoption of better prevention, training, and safer treatment technologies to reduce harm from the growing volume of healthcare waste produced worldwide, says leading independent healthcare waste management company, Anenta.  

Shedding light on hazardous medical waste and its rising risks to clinical staff, healthcare workers, and those who handle medical waste, Anenta believes that the ‘Healthcare Waste Toxicity: From Human Exposure to Toxic Mechanisms and Management Strategies’ report is a sharp reminder that producers of healthcare waste need to be vigilant and diligent.  

 In Anenta’s view, this is particularly important in relation to the disposal of sharps, infectious, pharmaceutical, pathological, cytotoxic, chemical, and radioactive waste, and applies to GPs, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, research centres, dental clinics, care and nursing homes.   

 “The findings of this study reiterate just how important segregation, governance, and training are in preventing harm to staff and the wider community,” said Kim Ormsby, Assistant Director at Anenta, adding: “It’s vital that every measure, including handling, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal is properly understood, implemented, and audited, which is exactly why we’ve created a free e-learning module on healthcare waste to help businesses in the primary care sector.” 

 Covering a number of topics such as waste segregation, simplification of waste processes, waste reduction, and colour-coded containment, the 45-minute training module is accessible free of charge to healthcare professional via the Health Education England online portal. These courses help those in the primary care sector meet duty of care obligations and ensure consistent adherence to environmental and CQC standards.  

 This, in turn, helps smooth the pre-acceptance and duty of care audit process, which is essential for compliance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and helps avoid the risk of waste contractors refusing to make collections due to instances of ‘non-compliance.’  

  Aided further by Anenta’s remote hazardous waste audits, which give producers of healthcare waste the ability to conduct compulsory duty of care and pre-acceptance audits in as little as 40 minutes, Anenta has removed the need for tedious third-party on-site audits, which can take up to 6 days. In addition to saving time, Anenta’s online solution also reduces costs by up to £800.   

 Combined, this process helps to ensure compliance for healthcare operations, whose staff are exposed to a range of different types of waste, including sharps, clinical, infectious, and offensive waste.  

“Protecting doctors, nurses, lab technicians, dentists, care home staff, pharmacists their support teams and the wider community from the dangers of medical waste is critically important,” says Ormsby. “Without consistent training and clear policies, staff can all too easily be put at unnecessary risk, which is why we work closely with healthcare settings to ensure that their waste management processes are streamlined and effective, ensuring a safer healthcare environment for all.” 

 Anenta, which was awarded the Healthcare Waste Management Company of the Year title at the prestigious Healthcare Business Review Europe Awards 2025, acts as an external contract manager delivering bespoke, affordable, and professional services across recycling, general waste, saniwaste, confidential, and clinical waste streams. Managing over 450,000 collections annually from more than 20,000 locations, Anenta has saved its clients over £13 million directly, while introducing workplace efficiencies that have generated a further £35 million in savings. 

Much of these savings are possible thanks to Vector, Anenta’s proprietary, multi-stakeholder system, which equips all parties in the healthcare waste supply chain with real-time updates on documentation, billing, compliance and outcomes. Highlighting inefficiencies and providing data-driven insights to improve service, delivery and operational performance, Vector ensures the delivery of fair billing practices through the analysis of thousands of invoices to identify and address any instances of overcharging. 

Visit www.anentawaste.com or call 03301222143.