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DC125-Recycling Policy

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Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Recycling Policy

1. Introduction

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to promoting environmental sustainability through effective recycling practices. This Recycling Policy outlines how we manage recyclable materials within our domiciliary care service, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and promoting sustainable practices among staff, service users, and stakeholders.

Our approach is guided by the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose, and by our legal duty of care for waste. This policy supports compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including Regulation 12 Safe Care and Treatment, Regulation 15 Premises and Equipment and Regulation 17 Good Governance, the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011, the Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2025, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. It also supports CQC expectations relating to safe care, infection prevention and control, waste and clinical specimen management, safe environments and effective governance.

2. Policy Statement

We recognise the importance of reducing our environmental impact and are committed to minimising waste through responsible recycling practices. This policy ensures that all recyclable materials generated from our services are appropriately segregated, collected, and processed in a sustainable manner.

Our recycling practices will:

3. Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to all staff, managers, temporary workers, volunteers, contractors and any other persons acting on behalf of {{org_field_name}}. It applies to waste and recyclable materials generated through the organisation’s regulated activities, office-based activities and care-related duties carried out in service users’ homes. It does not make {{org_field_name}} responsible for managing all domestic household waste in a service user’s own home; however, staff must manage waste generated during care delivery safely, respectfully and in line with the service user’s care plan, local authority arrangements and this policy.

For domiciliary care, the scope includes recyclable and non-recyclable waste generated during service delivery, such as clean packaging, office paper, cardboard, PPE packaging, disposable gloves, aprons, dressings, continence-related waste, medicine packaging, batteries, small electrical items and confidential documents. Waste must be classified and segregated correctly. Items that may be infectious, contaminated with blood or body fluids, medicinally contaminated, sharp, hazardous or confidential must not be placed in ordinary recycling.

In service users’ homes, staff are expected to encourage recycling while respecting individual preferences and capacities. We will support service users in understanding local recycling systems, ensuring that waste generated during care provision is handled responsibly and in line with local authority guidelines.

4. Responsibilities

Effective recycling requires shared responsibility across the organisation. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined to ensure accountability:

4.1 Nominated Waste and Infection Prevention Lead

{{org_field_name}} will nominate a competent person, such as the Registered Manager, Deputy Manager, Waste Lead or IPC Lead, to oversee day-to-day waste and recycling arrangements. Their responsibilities include supporting staff with waste classification, maintaining waste documentation, checking that bins and storage areas are suitable, reviewing incidents, escalating risks, liaising with waste contractors and local authorities, and ensuring that learning from audits or incidents is shared with staff. The nominated lead will work with the Registered Manager to ensure that waste management supports safe care, infection prevention and control, environmental compliance and good governance.

5. Recycling Procedures

Our recycling procedures are designed to ensure clarity and efficiency across all service areas. The process begins at the point of waste generation and ends with responsible disposal.

5.1 Waste Segregation

Waste must be segregated at the point of production. Staff must follow the waste hierarchy and must not mix recyclable waste with clinical, offensive, hazardous, confidential or residual waste. Where waste is generated in a service user’s own home, staff must follow the person’s care plan, local authority arrangements and any specific waste collection arrangements agreed for that person.

Waste must be separated into the following categories, as applicable:

If staff are unsure how to classify waste, they must seek advice from their line manager, the Waste Lead, IPC Lead or Registered Manager before disposal.

5.2 Collection and Storage

Waste and recyclable materials must be stored safely, securely and hygienically while awaiting collection. Storage arrangements must prevent leakage, odour, contamination, pest infestation, unauthorised access, injury and environmental harm. Bags, containers and bins must be suitable for the type of waste, must not be overfilled, and must be closed or secured where required.

Office-based waste and recycling will be collected by the local authority or an authorised waste contractor in line with contractual and legal requirements. {{org_field_name}} will retain relevant waste documentation, including waste transfer notes for non-hazardous waste and hazardous waste consignment notes where applicable.

In service users’ homes, staff must not remove waste from the premises unless this is part of an agreed, risk-assessed and lawful arrangement. Staff must follow the service user’s care plan, local authority collection arrangements and any specific instructions for clinical, offensive, sharps or hazardous waste. Where a service user requires additional waste collection support because of disability, infection risk, continence needs or mobility difficulties, staff must escalate this to the office so that appropriate arrangements can be discussed with the service user, family, local authority, commissioner or healthcare professional as appropriate.

5.3 Waste Documentation and Duty of Care

{{org_field_name}} will comply with its waste duty of care by ensuring that waste produced or controlled by the organisation is handled, stored, transferred and disposed of safely and lawfully. The organisation will:

Waste documentation will be retained securely and made available for audit, inspection or regulatory review where required.

5.4 Disposal of Confidential Waste

Confidential waste includes any paper, label, packaging, printout, note, care record, rota, MAR chart, assessment, correspondence or other material that contains personal, sensitive or confidential information about service users, staff or the organisation. Confidential waste must be kept secure and must not be placed in ordinary recycling or general waste.

Confidential waste will be destroyed by cross-cut shredding or by an approved confidential waste contractor. Where an external contractor is used, {{org_field_name}} will ensure that suitable data protection and confidentiality arrangements are in place and will retain certificates of destruction where provided. Staff must not dispose of confidential information in service users’ household bins unless this has been authorised and risk assessed, and the information has been rendered unreadable. Any suspected confidentiality breach must be reported immediately in line with the organisation’s data protection and incident reporting procedures.

5.5 Recycling in Service Users’ Homes

Recycling in a service user’s own home must be person-centred, proportionate and respectful. Staff must follow the person’s care plan and must respect the person’s preferences, routines, cultural needs, communication needs, capacity and consent. Staff must not reorganise bins, remove waste or change household waste systems without the person’s agreement or a lawful best-interest decision where applicable.

Staff may support service users to understand and use local recycling arrangements where this forms part of agreed care or support. This may include prompting, reading local authority guidance, placing clean recyclable items in the correct household container, or alerting the office where the person may need additional support from family, the local authority or commissioners.

Waste generated directly by care delivery must be managed safely. Staff must consider whether the waste is recyclable, residual, offensive hygiene waste, clinical or infectious waste, medicinally contaminated waste, sharps, hazardous waste or confidential waste. Where there is any doubt, staff must seek advice before disposal. Recycling must never take priority over infection prevention and control, safe care, dignity, confidentiality or the person’s wishes.

5.6 Sharps, Medicines and Healthcare Waste

Sharps, medicines waste and healthcare waste must be managed in line with the organisation’s Medication Policy, Infection Prevention and Control Policy, Health and Safety Policy and any local NHS, pharmacy, commissioner or local authority arrangements. Staff must never place sharps, medicines, medicinally contaminated waste or suspected infectious waste into recycling bins.

Sharps must be placed immediately into an approved sharps container. If a sharps container is unavailable, full, damaged or being used incorrectly, staff must report this immediately and follow risk management procedures. Unwanted medicines should normally be returned to a community pharmacy by the service user or their representative, unless another agreed arrangement is in place. Staff must not remove medicines or healthcare waste from a service user’s home unless this is authorised within the care plan, risk assessed and lawful.

5.7 Contaminated or Incorrectly Segregated Waste

If recyclable waste is contaminated, staff must not assume it can automatically be disposed of as residual waste. The waste must be assessed to determine whether it is residual, offensive, clinical, infectious, medicinally contaminated, hazardous or confidential. Staff must isolate the waste if safe to do so, inform their line manager and record the incident where required. Repeated contamination of recycling bins will be reviewed through supervision, team meetings, training and audit action plans.

6. Training and Awareness

To maintain high recycling standards, all staff members will receive comprehensive training on waste management during their induction and through annual refresher courses. Training will cover:

Staff competency will be checked through induction, supervision, spot checks, audits and incident reviews. Additional training or guidance will be provided where staff are unsure about waste classification, where incidents occur, or where legislation, CQC guidance, local authority arrangements or organisational procedures change.

Training materials will be regularly updated to reflect changes in recycling regulations and best practices. Staff performance will be monitored, and additional training will be provided if non-compliance is identified.

To reinforce awareness, posters and leaflets outlining recycling guidelines will be displayed in office spaces and provided to service users where appropriate. Regular staff meetings will include discussions on recycling performance and areas for improvement.

7. Monitoring and Compliance

Monitoring recycling and waste management practices is part of the organisation’s good governance arrangements under Regulation 17. Monitoring will be used to assess, monitor and improve safety, infection prevention and control, environmental compliance, confidentiality and staff practice.

Our monitoring approach includes:

Audit findings will be documented and discussed during team meetings, ensuring accountability and transparency. Corrective actions will be implemented where deficiencies are identified.

8. Environmental Impact and Sustainability Goals

At {{org_field_name}}, we recognise that responsible recycling contributes to broader environmental sustainability goals. Our objectives include:

Progress towards these goals will be reviewed quarterly, with results shared among staff and stakeholders. Continuous improvement initiatives will be implemented based on performance data and feedback.

9. Compliance with Regulatory Requirements

This policy supports compliance with the following legislation, statutory guidance and regulatory expectations, as applicable to the activities of {{org_field_name}}:

{{org_field_name}} will review this policy and associated procedures when legislation, statutory guidance, CQC guidance, local authority arrangements or operational practice changes.

10. Reporting and Continuous Improvement

To promote transparency and accountability, we will maintain detailed records of recycling activities, including:

Regular reporting will enable us to identify trends, address challenges, and implement improvements. Continuous improvement will be driven by:

The Registered Manager will be responsible for compiling quarterly reports, which will be reviewed by senior management. Key findings and improvement initiatives will be communicated to all staff, ensuring collective ownership of recycling outcomes.

Waste-related incidents and audit findings will be reviewed to identify themes, training needs, changes required to care plans or risk assessments, contractor issues and opportunities for improvement. Where waste management concerns may affect service user safety, infection prevention and control, confidentiality, safeguarding or environmental compliance, they will be escalated promptly to the Registered Manager and managed in line with the relevant organisational policies.

11. Review and Approval

This policy will be reviewed at least annually, or earlier following changes in legislation, CQC guidance, local authority recycling arrangements, waste contractor arrangements, infection prevention and control guidance, organisational practice, audit findings, incidents, complaints or identified risks. Staff will be informed of relevant changes and additional training or guidance will be provided where required.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

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