Pharmaceutical waste in healthcare

Evidence suggests that pharmaceutical waste is incorrectly disposed in clinical sharps bins, general waste or down the sink. These methods do not comply with drug legislation or EPA regulations, are potentially harmful to the environment, and increase the risk of diversion¹.

ANMF (Vic Branch) participated in a Victorian Therapeutics Advisory Group (VicTAG) working group to develop a set of tools designed to support appropriate pharmaceutical disposal. These were released In December 2020.

 

ANMF (Vic Branch) Pharmaceutical Waste Webinar

View the webinar, using password: AzHB2QG*

 

Pharmaceutical Waste Management Tools - VicTAG

• Victorian Framework for Handling and Disposal of Pharmaceutical Waste
• Disposing of Medicine Waste Table
• Disposing of Medicine Waste Poster
• Pharmaceutical Waste Training presentation. (Powerpoint, 15.2MB)

These tools are available to VicTAG member hospitals through your pharmacy or by contacting VicTAG directly.  

These resources have been created to align with relevant Victorian guidance and regulation. Clinicians must consult and implement local protocol and prompt documents. Where you identify issues for address, please raise these with management.

 

Pharmaceutical Waste Management Tools: DHHS

• Clinical waste guidelines - supplement for healthcare staff (PDF, 1 MB) - word version (DOCX, 94 KB)
• Waste decision tree A3 poster (PDF, 331 KB)
• Clinical and related waste - training presentation (PPTX, 6 MB) - training notes for the presentation (DOCX, 2 MB)

 

Acts

• Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981

 

Regulations

• Drugs, poisons and controlled substances regulations 2017

 

Standards

• NSQHS Standards – Medication management processes, Action 4.14

 

Guidance

• Victorian Department of Health – Managing drugs of dependence by health service providers - guidance

 

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1: Victorian Therapeutics Advisory Group Victorian Framework for handling and disposal of pharmaceutical Waste, October 2020, p.6