We have implemented a new pharmaceutical waste stream at Monash Health to reduce our environmental impact.
Pharmacy and Support Services identified the red P22 Pharmaceutical Waste Container as a suitable option to ensure pharmaceutical waste is incinerated at high temperatures. This prevents contamination of landfill sites and stops pharmaceutical compounds leaching into the environment.
The introduction of the new red P22 pharmaceutical waste container is a change in practice for our medication disposal. We are now diverting medication waste from other waste streams to the red pharmaceutical waste containers, except for cytotoxic waste which continues to be disposed of in the purple cytotoxic waste containers.
Items that can be disposed in the new red P22 pharmaceutical waste container include:
- Partial or unwanted doses of medications including Schedule 8 and Schedule 4D restricted medications
- Sharps items with an extractable volume of pharmaceutical
- Liquids including fluid bags with a medication additive
- Empty Schedule 8 and Schedule 4D medication containers
The new red P22 pharmaceutical waste containers have been provided to clinical areas that use Schedule 8 and Schedule 4D medications.
Some clinical areas may continue to use orange pharmaceutical waste containers in addition to the new red P22 pharmaceutical waste containers, if they dispose of high volumes of fluids. However, most areas will see a transition from the orange to the red P22 pharmaceutical containers.
To organise collection and delivery of your red P22 pharmaceutical waste container, please contact Environmental/Support Services at your site.
For more information on medication waste streams, please refer to the Medication Waste Management Procedure and Medication Waste Disposal Tool or contact MedicationSafety@monashhealth.org.
Approved by Anjali Dhulia