Guidance

Cleaning and sterilising waste medical instruments containing metal for recovery: RPS 160

Environment Agency regulatory position on cleaning and sterilising waste medical instruments containing metal to allow the waste metal to be recovered elsewhere.

• From: Environment Agency
• Published: 30 July 2020
• Last updated: 30 October 2023
  Show all updates

  1. 30 October 2023

     Updated the RPS to use the latest RPS template and extended the expiry date to 1 August 2026.

  2. 30 July 2020

     First published.

Applies to England

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Cleaning and sterilising waste medical instruments containing metal for recovery: RPS 160

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This regulatory position statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have an environmental permit for a waste operation to clean and sterilise waste medical instruments containing metal. This applies to both single use and end-of-life multiuse instruments.

However, the Environment Agency will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with this legal requirement if you meet the requirements in the RPS.

The regulatory position does not apply to any other legal requirements.