A toddler seems likely to lose his fingertip after a hospital told his parents to go home for the night and store the digit in the fridge before an operation.
Dale Ashton had injured his finger in an accident with his pushchair.
He had his finger reattached in an operation 22 hours later, but the surgery failed.
His mother Samantha Sykes said she believes the delay led to her son losing his finger.
Sent home
Dale's accident occurred at his home in Hyde, near Stockport on July 22.
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After 22 hours, you wouldn't have a hope.
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Plastic surgeon, St James' Hospital, Leeds
His parents called an ambulance and were told to put the finger in a clean plastic bag for the journey to Tameside General Hospital in Ashton under Lyne.
The family say the finger was taken away, and they had to wait an hour and a half before they could see a doctor.
Staff rang nearby Booth Hall Children's Hospital for advice, and were told that Dale should be sent home for the night.
Ms Sykes, who is now considering legal action, told the BBC: "I saw a nurse taking his finger, which was on a tray, in a plastic bag out of the bin and wiping it off.
"I feel so confused and angry. I believe that it hasn't taken because of our treatment, because of it being thrown in the bin.
"It was in a plastic bag for a couple of hours and it's not going to take after that much treatment."
The family were then told to take the finger home, pack it in ice and put it in the fridge before taking it with them to Booth Hall hospital for the operation next morning.
Re-grafting
The operation went ahead and appeared to be a success.
But nine days later, Dale's parents were told by doctors the operation had failed, and the fingertip would eventually drop off.
A spokesperson for Tameside General Hospital, said: "Dale could not be operated on that evening, and we were advised to send him home and go to Booth Hall the next day, ready for theatre.
"We advised the fingertip be packed in ice, in line with Booth Hall's recommendation.
"Bandaging the fingertip back on would not have maintained its viability and would have impeded the chances of a successful re-graft."
The hospital would make no comment on how the fingertip had apparently been put into a pedal bin.
But it added: "Our staff followed to the letter the advice given by Booth Hall in countless similar situations.
"The operation Dale needed is not offered by Tameside General Hospital, and we cannot comment on the outcome of surgery carried out elsewhere."
Booth Hall said it was investigating the incident, but would make no further comment.
'Within four hours'
But a specialist plastic surgeon based at St James' Hospital in Leeds told BBC News Online: "This doesn't sound like standard practice.
"There is some evidence that the sooner you put on the amputated fingertip the better."
But he said the success of such an operation depended on how much nail, bone and tissue had been severed and how damaged it was.
"If there's a tiny bit of bone and fat, it could be successful in putting it back on, if you do the operation within four hours.
"In children under 10, there is around a 60% success rate."
But he said: "After 22 hours, you wouldn't have a hope."
However, he said even where it was clear the condition of the severed digit indicated a graft would not be successful, it could be helpful to operate because it would act as a "biological dressing" and help the finger underneath heal.