Clinical waste is any waste resulting from medical, nursing, dental, pharmaceutical, skin penetration or other related clinical activity that has the potential to cause injury, infection or offense.
It includes waste containing:
Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, clinical waste does not include any waste that has been treated by a method approved in writing by the Secretary of NSW Health.
Treated clinical waste no longer has the properties of clinical waste and can be re-classified for waste regulatory purposes. That is, the waste is no longer injurious, infectious or able to give rise to offence. The approval for clinical waste treatment is separate to any license issued under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.