CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating after Colchester Council announced it will waive its charges for the disposal of needles and other medical equipment.

Until recently, the service for people who need to use “sharps” at home had been provided by GP surgeries, which recycled domestic medical waste for free.

However, at the turn of the year, the responsibility was passed to councils, which already had to provide an alternative disposal service.

Colchester Council was set to charge for the collections due to the “specialist steps” needed to collect and dispose of the waste.

But now council bosses have agreed to waive the charges, despite not receiving any additional funding, effectively absorbing the cost for residents.

Campaigner Kevin Starling raised the issue in an article in the Gazette last week.

The 63-year-old, who uses needles for diabetes, said: “It is extremely good news and nice to see common sense prevail.

“The costs involved to the individual are not that great but there should not be a cost.

“People do not use these things voluntarily, it is because of their conditions.”

READ MORE: Patients told they will have to pay for needle disposal

The council says it is not receiving any additional funding to support the collection of the clinical waste, however it will receive 30 per cent of the disposal costs of the waste from Essex County Council.

Once the fees have been removed from the services, anyone who has been charged for their waste to be collected after January 1 will be refunded.

Martin Goss, councillor responsible for waste, environment and transportation, said: “People who are having to self-medicate to help maintain their quality of life are facing enough anxiety, without the pressure of having to find additional money to dispose of their needles and dressings.

“This is why we have reviewed these charges and taken the decision to move to scrap our fees for clinical waste collections.

“There are some legal steps we must take before completely removing the charges, but we are seeking to do this as quickly as possible.

“Once again it is another example of council’s being expected to pick up these additional responsibilities without any extra funding.

“However, following NHS England’s decision to end their free service, I feel we have a moral duty to step in and offer this without charge to prevent people suffering any additional worry and stress.”

Andrea Patman, head of commissioning for NHS England Midlands and East, said: “Local councils are responsible for collecting clinical waste from people’s homes.

"NHS England has been working closely with councils across the East of England to ensure these services are in place.

"Information about the services, including what any changes mean for local people and the relevant contact details for their local council will soon be sent out across the region.”