There are 3 different collection arrangements available depending on the type of waste: hygiene waste, sharps only and clinical waste.
Hygiene waste
This is non-infectious waste such as nappies, sanitary waste, incontinence pads, catheter and stoma bags (drained). These can be collected via your normal rubbish bin or purple bag collections, if you are on our alternative bag service.
Sharps only
If you self-medicate at home, used needles and other sharps must be placed in a suitable sharps box. Do not put loose needles or sharps in any of your household bins.
This includes needles used for injectable medicines such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and other weight-loss or diabetes treatments.
Getting a sharps box
You will need a sharps box to safely store your used needles before disposal. If you have been prescribed injectable medication, speak to your GP, pharmacy or healthcare provider about obtaining a sharps box.
If you have obtained weight-loss medication privately, you should check with the pharmacy or provider supplying your medication about obtaining a suitable sharps box.
Used needles must be presented in a sharps box. Loose needles, or needles placed in other containers, cannot be accepted.
Disposing of your sharps box
Once your sharps box is ready for disposal, you can take it to one of the participating pharmacies or GP surgeries:
- Bottisham Pharmacy, 8 High Street, Bottisham, CB25 9DQ
- Burwell Surgery, Newmarket Road, Burwell, CB25 0AE
- Boots Pharmacy, 6 Market Street, Ely, CB7 4PB
- St Mary's Street Pharmacy, 64 St Mary's Street, Ely, CB7 4EY
- Haddenham Pharmacy, Station Road, Haddenham, CB6 3XD
- Wellbeing Pharmacy, 2 Parsons Lane, Littleport, CB6 1JU
- Staploe Pharmacy, Brewhouse Lane, Soham, CB7 5JD
- Sutton Pharmacy, 29 High Street, Sutton, CB6 2RB
There is no charge for this disposal service. You can continue to get new sharps boxes in your usual way. The council does not provide clinical sharps boxes.
If you are housebound
If you are housebound and unable to take your sharps box to one of the locations above, we can collect your used sharps from your home on a quarterly basis.
Your needles must be contained in a suitable sharps box for collection.Please email waste@eastcambs.gov.uk or call 01353 665555 to arrange a collection.
Clinical waste
This is waste which is infectious to humans and needs to be collected separately via our clinical waste service.
For further information on clinical collections, please email waste@eastcambs.gov.uk or call us on 01353 665555.
Missed collections
If your clinical waste or sharps boxes were not collected, please report it to us
Report a missed clinical collection
For further information on clinical collections, please email waste@eastcambs.gov.uk or call us on 01353 665555.