Do You Know the Clinical Waste Code? Part 8: The Black Code

Having “Followed the Colour Code” to the end with Initial Medical, we take a look at the final colour in the coding system – black…

The colour black has many, often contrasting, meanings and associations. On the one hand, it is connected with power, mystery, authority, elegance, sexuality, formality and sophistication. On the other, it is linked with fear, death, evil, aggression, rebellion, control, the unknown and depression. As white is the absence of colour, black is the absorption of all colours and the absence of light.

The strength of the colour will often evoke strong emotions and it can make one feel inconspicuous while providing a sense of restful emptiness. The word is generally used with a negative charge – ‘blackmail’, ‘blacklist’ and ‘black hole’ etc.

Around the globe, the colour black conjures even more contrasting meanings. In Chinese culture, for example, every colour corresponds with one of the five primary elements, a direction and one of the seasons – black is associated with water, north and winter. In the West, black is a symbol of mourning and the colour of clothes worn during a funeral – in places such as rural Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, widows traditionally wear black for the rest of their lives. In several western cultures, a black cat crossing one’s path has significant meaning as well – it is unlucky in England, but lucky in various other countries such as Italy.