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Sharps bin collection

Sharps bins are the one container almost every practice has, from a GP surgery to a tattoo studio or a dental practice. They are bought or supplied by your contractor, filled to the line printed on the side, closed permanently and collected for incineration or treatment depending on the lid colour.

The lid colour tells the contractor and the treatment plant what is inside. Getting it wrong can mean a rejected collection or paying incineration prices for waste that did not need it.

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Sharps bin supply, small to large

£6.63 to £12.16

Hull City Council trade price, collection extra

Which sharps go in which bin

The three sharps lid colours in HTM 07-01, with examples.

See the full colour code

  • Orange

    Sharps not contaminated with medicines: blood test needles, lancets, tattoo and piercing needles, acupuncture needles.

    Alternative treatment (heat or chemical) or incineration

  • Yellow

    Sharps contaminated with medicines, other than cytotoxic: injection and vaccine needles, part-used syringes, local anaesthetic cartridges, toxin and filler needles.

    High-temperature incineration only

  • Purple

    Sharps contaminated with cytotoxic or cytostatic drugs, including syringes and vials used for chemotherapy and some hormone treatments.

    High-temperature incineration only

What sharps disposal costs

Clinical waste is priced per container and per collection, so the figure that matters is what you fill and how often it goes. Use these as a budget check before you ask for prices.

Estimate a yearly cost

ItemPublished figure
Sharps bin supply only, small to large
Hull City Council trade price, collection extra		£6.63 to £12.16
Each sack or container collected
Typical range from published UK clinical waste price comparisons, autumn 2026, varies with size, stream and frequency		£8 to £25
Small clinic, a few bins a month
Typical monthly range, published UK clinical waste price comparisons, autumn 2026		£15 to £60 a month
Where these figures come from

Per-container and monthly ranges are typical figures from published UK clinical waste price comparisons, autumn 2026, excluding VAT, and are a guide, not a quote. Council figures are from the South Derbyshire District Council fees and charges 2026/27 (VAT "where applicable"), and sharps bin supply prices from Hull City Council. All read November 2026. Council tariffs are useful benchmarks because they are published; private contractors set their own prices.

Rules for sharps bins

The duty of care sits with the practice that produces the waste, even once it is on the contractor's lorry.

The fill line
Close the bin permanently when it reaches the fill line marked by the manufacturer. Never press waste down or overfill to save a bin.
Temporary closure
Use the temporary closure whenever the bin is not in use, and carry bins away from your body by the handle.
Label it
Write the practice name, the date it was assembled and the date it was closed on the label, so the contractor and auditor can trace it.
Hazardous waste consignment note
Every collection of orange, yellow, purple or amalgam waste travels on a consignment note. You fill in the producer part, keep your copy, and hold all notes for three years in a register at the premises (GOV.UK, hazardous waste producers).
Patients' home sharps
Bins filled by patients at home are household waste, collected by the council on request (GOV.UK), not by your contractor.
Where our information comes from

Need sharps bins supplied and collected on a regular round?

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How a sharps collection gets set up

  1. Tell us the practice

    Postcode, type of practice, the streams you produce, roughly how many bins or bags a month and any contract end date.

  2. We name a contractor

    We find a licensed contractor that collects in your postcode and handles your streams, then tell you who it is before anything is passed on.

  3. Survey and written price

    The contractor agrees bin sizes and lid colours for each room, how many to leave, and a collection round, and prices it in writing.

  4. Collections and paperwork

    Containers are delivered, the first collection is booked, and every visit leaves a consignment or transfer note for your records.

Questions practice managers ask

How do I get rid of a full sharps bin from my business?

Close it permanently at the fill line and hand it to a registered clinical waste carrier on a consignment note. Businesses cannot use household sharps collections or recycling centres.

How often should sharps bins be collected?

Often enough that closed bins do not build up. Busy clinics collect weekly or every four weeks; small studios and practices often collect every eight to twelve weeks with secure storage in between.

What is the difference between orange and yellow lidded sharps bins?

Orange lids are for sharps with no medicine on them, such as blood test or tattoo needles, and can go to alternative treatment. Yellow lids are for sharps contaminated with medicines and must be incinerated.

How much does a sharps bin collection cost?

Bins themselves cost a few pounds; one council supplies them at £6.63 to £12.16. Collection is usually priced per container, typically £8 to £25 each, plus any paperwork charge.

Can sharps bins go in clinical waste bags?

Closed sharps bins can be placed in a larger rigid clinical waste bin of the matching colour for collection if your contractor allows it, but never put loose sharps in a bag.

Keep reading

Get sharps bin collection prices

Three short steps: where the practice is, what you produce, and how to reach you. It takes about two minutes and nothing is booked.

This is a free matching service, not a waste contractor. We find a licensed clinical waste contractor that collects in your postcode and tell you its name first. No contractor calls until you agree.

Step 1 of 3

Where is the practice?
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