We currently provide free collection services for clinical waste and sharps boxes in Ipswich. Both services are available to all Ipswich borough residents who self-administer medical treatment at home.

Clinical waste 

This includes the safe collection and disposal of items that could be harmful to others such body fluid or other biological material (including swabs or dressings) containing or contaminated with pharmaceutical products or anything that may be infectious.

Clinical waste must not be placed in either normal household or recycling waste bins

Waste that may be offensive in nature but has no identified risk of infection, such as hygiene waste and sanitary protection like nappies and incontinence pads, can be appropriately bagged and disposed of in normal household waste bins.

The request for a clinical waste collection should be requested by a medical profession/doctor/surgeon – once we have received the request we will contact you to set up your collection.

Sharps boxes

This includes the safe collection and disposal of sharps boxes that contain needles, syringes or other sharp instruments.

You are entitled to one collection per quarter (every 13 weeks) as part of the service and your collection will take place between 7:30am – 12pm on the allocated day, advised at the time of booking. 

All sharps must be placed in a sharps box, available on prescription from your GP, the Council will not provide replacement sharps boxes.

Sharps and sharps boxes must not be placed in either normal household or recycling waste bins

Here are some frequently asked questions about this service.

• Sharps box collection FAQs

Please complete the application form to request a sharps box collection.

Further information

All records of collection are confidential and all waste is taken to a special incinerator where it is destroyed.