How to dispose of medical waste properly is a critical aspect of healthcare operations, necessitating proper methods to mitigate the risks associated with infectious materials.
This article explores the application of various disposal techniques, such as incineration, autoclaving, and sterilization combined with medical waste shredding.
Understanding the significance of how to dispose of medical waste properly
Medical waste, including infectious, pathological, sharps, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, genotoxic, radioactive, and heavy metal waste, requires specialized handling due to its potential hazards. Inadequate disposal can lead to cross-contamination, environmental pollution, and health risks for both healthcare workers and the general public. Not to mention medical facilities can face some huge fines if their waste management processes aren’t up to date with environmental regulations – another reason why your facility needs to know how to dispose of medical waste properly.
Learning how to dispose of medical waste properly starts with waste segregation
Segregation is a fundamental step in all guides that describe how to dispose of medical waste properly. It’s also a practice strongly recommended by global health organizations like WHO. The goal is to treat hazardous medical waste as close to its source as possible, typically within operating theatres, laboratories, and other healthcare facilities. This responsibility involves all hospital employees, ensuring that waste is segregated at the point of generation.
What are the most common types of medical waste that need to be properly disposed of?
Infectious medical waste:
- Blood-contaminated items
- Cultures and stocks of infectious agents
- Waste from isolation ward patients
- Discarded diagnostic samples
- Infected animals from laboratories
- Contaminated materials and equipment
Pathological waste:
- Identifiable human body parts
- Contaminated animal carcasses
Sharps waste:
- Disposable scalpels, needles, etc.
Chemical waste:
- Mercury, solvents, disinfectants
Pharmaceutical waste:
- Unused, contaminated, and expired medicines
Genotoxic waste:
- Hazardous teratogenic, mutagenic, or carcinogenic waste
Radioactive medical waste:
- Contaminated glassware and materials used in radiotherapy
Heavy metal waste:
- Mercury thermometers, scalpel blades, etc.
How to dispose of medical waste properly: autoclaving and steam sterilization
High-pressure and high-temperature steam can play a crucial role in disposing of medical waste properly since it can neutralize even heat-resistant bacteria. It can also help in reusing certain pieces of medical tools such as surgical tools without the risk of spreading healthcare-associated infections among patients. Shredding can further improve this process in case of materials that cannot be reused and need to be rendered into an unrecognizable state, such as sharps.
How to dispose of medical waste properly: the benefits of shredding waste
Shredding offers several advantages to medical facilities that are looking for onsite methods to dispose of medical waste properly.
- Enhanced sterilization. Shredding ensures efficient steam penetration, and renders waste into an unusable state, further preventing the potential spread of contamination. This makes the process even more reliable than traditional autoclaving in case of waste and materials that cannot be reused. This means shredding is one of the best ways to treat and dispose properly of sharps medical waste onsite.
- Volume reduction. Shredding can reduce the waste to as little as 20% of its original volume, facilitating easier and more cost-effective disposal. This also reduces the amount of space required for storage and reduces the frequency of waste transportation needed, further contributing to reducing the costs associated with waste management. Not to mention that the waste will already be sterile onsite.
- Eco-friendly and cost-effective. Unlike incineration, there is absolutely no risk of releasing any harmful substances into the air. Some models are also equipped with energy and water-saving systems to lower the operational costs of medical facilities. This is why this is regarded as one of the best biomedical waste disposal methods.
How to dispose of medical waste properly: is incineration a viable method?
Incineration is still widely used for many types of medical waste. While undeniably effective, there is a risk of harmful emissions. Onsite incinerators can also be quite costly compared to more modern onsite methods like autoclaves and shredders and also require more space to be installed at the site of medical facilities.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
