The Scheme has been in place since August 2011 to provide for the control and regulation of the whole path of handling clinical waste from its production through to disposal as well as for the protection and safety of the public in relation to any such activity.
The control scheme seeks to uphold the public health standard in Hong Kong through effective management of the waste. It comprises five key elements to attain the objective :
Details of the statutory control are set out in the Waste Disposal (Clinical Waste) (General) Regulation.
Waste producers, waste collectors and disposal facility operators have to fulfill their responsibilities under the Clinical Waste Control Scheme.
The duties fall into mainly two areas:
On waste handling , EPD has issued two sets of Code of Practice to provide guidance on the segregation, packaging , labelling, storage, collection, transportation and disposal of clinical waste for major clinical waste producers (e.g. hospitals) and small waste producers (e.g. private clinics).Click here for details.
A waste producer can fulfill the duty of proper disposal of clinical waste by:
A waste producer needs to keep all waste consignment and delivery records for not less than 12 months and, upon request, make them available for inspection by EPD staff.
Note: A healthcare professional is a :
as defined in the various ordinances detailed in the Waste Disposal (Clinical Waste) (General) Regulation.
Clinical waste collectors must apply for and operate in accordance with a Clinical Waste Collection licence. They have to deliver the waste to the designated disposal facility within 24 hours of waste collection. Please refer to the relevant code of practice for details.
A Clinical Waste disposal facility has to be licensed by EPD and operated strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of the licence.
Under the Control Scheme, clinical waste producers (e.g. hospitals and clinics) will consign the waste to licensed waste collectors who will transport it to the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre (“CWTC”) for disposal. In accordance with the user pays principle, a charge will be levied on the disposal of clinical waste at the Centre under the “Charge Regulation”