From this week, our full red pharmaceutical waste bins (P22) will be progressively replaced by new pharmaceutical waste bins with a yellow base and an orange lid.
The change will take place across all sites and clinical areas that store and administer Schedule 8 (S8) and Schedule 4D (S4D) medications at Monash Health.
From today, please use the new P22 yellow/orange pharmaceutical waste bins to dispose of the following items:
- All pharmaceutical waste (other than cytotoxic waste)
- Sharps waste that contains an extractable volume of medicine
- S8 and S4D medications (partially used or unwanted)
- S8 and S4D empty medication containers
Clinical sharps waste should continue to be placed in yellow S22 waste bins.
This change is in line with new Australian Standards.
What you need to do
You will notice that we now have both red and yellow/orange P22 pharmaceutical waste bins in use at Monash Health as we transition over to the yellow/orange bins.
Over the next few weeks, you can continue to use both red and yellow/orange P22 bins for the disposal of pharmaceutical waste. We will progressively remove red bins as they become full so that in future, only yellow/orange bins will remain for use.
More information and support
- If you have any questions regarding the disposal of pharmaceutical waste at Monash Health or our new bins, please download the fact sheet or contact medicationsafety@monashhealth.org.
- To organise the disposal of pharmaceutical waste bins, please do this via the usual steps, through General Services.
- If you have not received a P22 pharmaceutical waste bin and your clinical area stores and administers S8 and S4D medications, please contact your site General Services team.
Thank you for your co-operation through this change.
Approved by Martin Keogh, Chief Operating Officer