Southport waste firm brought in to safely remove used COVID kits

A Southport firm is leading the way in helping to safely dispose of harmful Coronavirus (COVID-19) waste in the region.

Gilston Waste Management, based in Birkdale, are one of the UK’s top hazardous waste disposal organisations and have this week successfully secured the contract to safely destroy all COVID-19 testing waste in Sefton.

Thousands of kits have been deployed in the borough as both Sefton Council and the Cheshire & Merseyside Health Care Partnership in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, meaning that harmful and hazardous waste is vastly becoming a considerable side effect of the pandemic.

Fortunately Gilston Waste Management (GWM) have now been brought in to help the efforts of the local authority and health chiefs by providing round the clock hazardous waste disposal bins and bags to easily and safely remove all used and discarded COVID-19 testing kits.

It follows their recent successes as one of the main organisations removing used COVID-19 kits from care homes across the North West of England.

Specially trained waste operatives from GWM are attending dozens of sites across Sefton, including both the asymptomatic and SMART testing centres, working throughout each day to collect thousands of used kits, keeping up with the increasing demand seen in recent months following the launch of SMART testing.

James Parker, MD of Gilston Waste Management, said: “We are a Southport company through and through and to be able to do our part in helping these valiant efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is a privilege.

“The council are doing incredible work in helping get as many of our communities tested for the virus but this naturally creates a considerable amount of hazardous waste which needs to be safely disposed of.

“We are delighted to have successfully secured the contract to remove the used testing kits off site and our operatives are working tirelessly to ensure that each kit is safely disposed of.

“This follows our continued efforts in the Care sector where we continue to help provide hazardous waste disposal of COVID-19 related paraphernalia used by hundreds of care homes in the North West.

“Having seen first hand the sheer volume of testing kits which need disposal, I want to say a huge thank you to all those working in the health service who are helping deliver these potentially life saving tests.”

To find out more about Gilston Waste Management, visit www.gilstonwastemanagement.co.uk.