HEALTH CARE WASTE

MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVES:1. To provide an overview of the different categories of health

care waste2. To inform healthcare workers of the proper waste segregation,

collection, disposal, and transport of healthcare waste3. To develop awareness of environmental issues relating to

health care waste

Includes all waste

generated by health

care establishments,

research facilities,

& laboratories

General waste Infectious waste Pathological waste Sharps Pharmaceutical waste Genotoxic waste Waste with high content of heavy

metal Pressurized container Radioactive waste

GENERAL WASTE

• Comparable to domestic waste

• Does not pose special handling problems or hazards to human health or to the environment

• Mostly from administrative & housekeeping functions of health care establishments, e.g., office paper, food waste

INFECTIOUS

WASTE• Contains pathogens

(bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi) in sufficient amount

• 10% to 15% of hospital waste

COLLECTION/DISPOSAL• Should be placed in

yellow leakproof container

• Collected by

PATHOLOGICAL WASTEHuman tissues or fluids (e.g., body parts, blood

or other body fluids, fetuses)

SHARPS• Needles, syringes scalpels,

saws, blades, broken glass, infusion sets, knives, nails, & other items that can cause a cut or punctured wounds

• Considered as highly hazardous HCW

COLLECTION / DISPOSAL• Sharps should be collected at

source of use in puncture-proof containers (metal or high-density plastic) with fitted covers.

• Container made of dense cardboard may be a substitute.

PHARMACEUTIC

WASTE

Expired, unused, spilt&contaminated pharmaceutical products, drugs, vaccines & sera that are no longer required & need to be disposed of appropriately

COLLECTION /DISPOSAL

Small amounts of chemical or large

quantities of obsolete or expired

pharmaceuticals stored in hospital

wards should be returned to the

pharmacy for disposal.

GENOTOXIC WASTE

• Cytostatic drugs, vomitus, urine or feces from patients treated with cytostatic drugs, chemicals & radioactive materials

• Highly hazardous & may have mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic properties

COLLECTION / DISPOSAL

• Cytotoxic waste mostly produced in major hospitals or research facilities should be collected in strong, leak-proof containers labeled “cytotoxic waste.”

WASTE WITH HIGH

CONTENT OF

HEAVY METAL

Batteries, broken thermometers,

blood pressure gauges

COLLECTION / DISPOSAL

• Waste with high content of heavy

metals (e.g., cadmium or mercury)

should be collected separately.

• Large quantities of chemical waste

should be packed in chemical-

resistant container and sent to

specialized treatment facilities.

PRESSURIZED CONTAINERS

Gas cylinders, gas cartridges, aerosol cans

COLLECTION/DISPOSAL

Aerosol containers may

be collected with general

HCW once they are

completely empty.

Aerosol containers

should not be burnt or

incinerated.

•All government hospitals, clinics,

laboratories and research offices shall

incorporate satisfactory segregation,

treatment, collection and disposal

system.

•All infectious and hazardous hospital

wastes shall be treated before storage,

collection and disposal.

•All hospitals and other related

institutions shall inform their staff

and personnel about the proper waste

segregation (color-coding) and storage,

collection and disposal of hospital

waste.

Color Coding Scheme Waste Categories

Black Non-infectious dry waste

Green Non-infectious wet waste

Yellow Infectious and pathological waste

Yellow with Black band Chemical and heavy metal wastes

Orange Radioactive waste

Red Sharps and pressured containers

•Appropriate containers or bag holder

should be placed in all locations where

particular categories of waste may be

generated.

•Staff should never attempt to correct

errors of segregation by removing

items from a bag after disposal or by

placing one bag inside another bag of

different color.

•If general & hazardous wastes are

accidentally mixed, it should be

classified as hazardous HCW.

•Waste should be collected daily (or as frequently as required) & transported to the designated central storage site.•No bags should be removed unless they are labeled with their point of production & contents.•Bags or containers should be replaced immediately with new ones of the same type.

Collection, transportation, storage

(within the hospital)

19

Safe Transportation in a REGISTERED,

AUTHORIZED, BMW TRANSPORTERS

20

PURPOSE:To change the biological &

chemical characteristic of the waste to

minimize its potential to cause harm

•Prohibits the incineration of medical

wastes

•Promotes the use of state of the art,

environmentally sound & safe non-

burn technologies for handling,

treatment, thermal destruction,

utilization & disposal of sorted

unrecycled biomedical & hazardous

waste.

A. Thermal process

B. Chemical disinfection

Help control nosocomial disease, complementing the protection effect of proper hand washing

Reduce community exposure to multi-drug resistant bacteria

Dramatically reduce HIV/AIDS sepsis and hepatitis transmission from dirty needles & other improperly cleaned/ disposed medical items

Control zoonoses (disease passed to

humans through insects, birds, rats

& other animals)

Cut cycles of infection

Easily and cost-effectively address

health care worker safety issues,

including reducing the risk of

needlestick injuries

Prevent illegal repackaging & resale

of contaminated needles

Avoid negative long-term health

effects, e.g., cancer from the

environmental release of toxic

substances such as dioxin, mercury

& others