Tattoo Waste Disposal

If you run a tattoo shop, studio, or parlour you have a responsibility to ensure your waste is disposed of safely and in a way that is environmentally friendly. Tattoo studios are subject to specific regulations and guidelines regarding waste disposal.

Managing Tattoo Waste

Effective waste management is important for tattoo artists. Within this environment, proper sanitation is vital due to the nature of the activity and the equipment used. Arranging the correct storage, collection and disposal of your tattoo waste is crucial to ensure your business is compliant.

To safely manage your tattoo waste effectively, you must ensure you use the appropriate bins, bags, and containers for each type of waste you produce. These vary depending on the kind of tattoo waste generated, which is important to separate your waste and prevent cross-contamination.

What are the Types of Tattoo Waste?

All tattoo waste falls under clinical waste. There are two main types of tattoo waste that require proper waste disposal:

• Sharps Waste - This will includes waste items such as needles, razors and other sharp objects.
• Hazardous Waste - This includes a range of contaminated waste such as dressing, bandages, cotton swaps, gloves and any other items that may have come into contact with blood or bodily fluids.

Tattoo Waste Bags, Bins & Containers

To ensure your waste is managed and disposed of safely you must ensure you have the correct bins, bags and containers for the waste you produce within your premises. The waste you produce needs to segregated in order to prevent cross-contamination and so that is correctly disposed of.

Sharps Bin - Orange lidded sharps bins are designed to store and segregate tattoo and piercing needles. They are made from durable materials to avoid damage and are also lockable.

Clinical Waste Bags - Orange waste bags are used to store clinical hazardous waste items, such as gloves, dressings and wipes ready for disposal.

Why is Professional Waste Management Important?

There are strict compliance requirements for healthcare waste such as tattoo waste. It needs to be properly segregated, correctly labelled, safely stored and appropriately disposed of. You have a duty of care over the waste you produce up to and including the point of its disposal. Improper handling or disposal of such waste can pose serious health risks to artists, studio staff, and the general public. Professional and fully licensed waste carriers have the knowledge and expertise to handle these materials safely

Where can I find a Reliable Tattooist Waste Management Company?

To ensure a waste management company is authorised and fully compliant you can ask for proof of their relevant documentation or use this online index: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register

Here at WGS Waste Management we are a fully certified and licensed waste management company. We work with tattoo studios, shops and parlours across the South East, covering Sussex, Kent, London and Surrey. Whatever your waste management fees might be we will arrange a collection and disposal plan that it tailored to your exact requirements. Our collections are flexible to your needs, whether that be weekly, fortnightly or monthly and we also provide all the relevant bins you need for your premises.

We are sustainable waste carriers, absolutely none of our waste is sent to landfill. Different types of tattoo waste require different methods of disposal, where possible we recycle the waste or it is incinerated for energy.

Get in contact today to get a quote for our tattoo waste disposal services help@wgswaste.co.uk or 01892 725609.