Pharmaceutical waste containers colours differ based on what type of clinical waste they store. Lid colours are different to show what they can contain. These colours are generally:
Blue lid – pharmaceutical waste such as expired medicines and contaminated products like gloves and masks.
Black lid – also for pharmaceutical waste such as paracetamol, cough medicine, and more.
Yellow lid – infectious clinical waste contaminated with blood and medicines.
Orange lid – sharps waste including needles, syringes, and more.
Purple lid – cytotoxic and cytostatic waste like hormone and chemotherapy medicines.
Red lid – anatomical waste including infectious and non-infectious body parts.
Black and yellow striped – non-infectious waste and no pharmaceutical or chemical waste.