Biomedical waste management

1. Biomedical waste management

2. Definition of Medical Waste
• Medical waste is any kind of waste that contains infectious material (or
material that’s potentially infectious). This definition includes waste
generated by healthcare facilities like physician’s offices, hospitals,
dental practices, laboratories, medical research facilities, and veterinary
clinics.
• Medical waste can contain bodily fluids like blood or other contaminants.
The 1988 Medical Waste Tracking Act defines is as waste generated
during medical research, testing, diagnosis, immunization, or treatment
of either human beings or animals. Some examples are culture dishes,
glassware, bandages, gloves, discarded sharps like needles or scalpels,
swabs, and tissue.

3. Medical Waste Types
The term “medical waste” can cover a wide variety of different byproducts of
the healthcare industry. The broadest definition can include office paper and
hospital sweeping waste. The list below displays the most common waste
categories as identified by the WHO.
• Sharps. This kind of waste includes anything that can pierce the skin,
including needles, scalpels, lancets, broken glass, razors, ampules, staples,
wires, and trocars.
• Infectious Waste. Anything infectious or potentially infectious goes in this
category, including swabs, tissues, excreta, equipment, and lab cultures.
• Radioactive. This kind of waste generally means unused radiotherapy
liquid or lab research liquid. It can also consist of any glassware or other
supplies contaminated with this liquid.

4. • Pathological. Human fluids, tissue, blood, body parts, bodily fluids, and
contaminated animal carcasses come under this waste category.
• Pharmaceuticals. This grouping includes all unused, expired, and/or
contaminated vaccines and drugs. It also encompasses antibiotics, injectables,
and pills.
• Chemical. These are disinfectants, solvents used for laboratory purposes,
batteries, and heavy metals from medical equipment such as mercury from
broken thermometers.
• Genotoxic Waste. This is a highly hazardous form of medical waste that’s either
carcinogenic, teratogenic, or mutagenic. It can include cytotoxic drugs intended
for use in cancer treatment.
• General Non-Regulated Medical Waste. Also called non-hazardous waste, this
type doesn’t pose any particular chemical, biological, physical, or radioactive
danger.

5. Where medical waste gets disposed of?
• There are several medical waste disposal methods healthcare providers
can choose from. The first question is where the waste gets disposed of:
on-site or off-site? The second is how the waste gets transported if it’s
disposed of off-site.
• Here’s another great service for medical offices: MedPro (USA) Waste
Disposal offers low-cost, secure medical waste disposal with predictable
service and predictable cost. Check out our practice savings calculator
here to see how much you could save on your medical waste disposal.

6. • On-Site Treatment
• The on-site treatment of medical waste is generally limited to large, well-
monied hospitals and facilities. On-site treatment is extremely cost-
prohibitive. That’s because the required equipment is expensive to buy,
expensive to maintain, and expensive to manage and run. The regulatory
maze around such equipment (and its use) presents yet another barrier to
entry.
• Off-Site Treatment
• Off-site medical waste treatment is a far more cost-effective option for most
small and mid-sized medical practices and facilities. Third-party vendors
whose main business is healthcare waste collection and disposal have the
equipment and training needed to handle the process. Vendors can collect the
waste either by truck or by mail.

7. Stages of Medical Waste Disposal
• Stage 1: Collection and Segregation
• Stage 2: Storage and Transportation
• Stage 3: Treatment and Disposal

8. Medical Waste Treatment Methods
No matter where medical waste is processed, it’s ultimately treated by
incineration, autoclaving, microwave, biological, or chemical treatment.
Incineration, once by far the most popular method, has decreased in usage
since the 1990’s, as regulation has forced other methods to come online.
• Incineration. Before 1997, over 90% of all infectious medical waste was
disposed of by incineration. Changes to EPA regulations has led
providers to seek other disposal means. This is still the only method used
on pathological waste, for example body parts and recognizable tissues.
• Autoclaving. Steam sterilization renders biohazardous waste non-
infectious. After it’s been sterilized, the waste can be disposed of
normally in solid waste landfills, or it can be incinerated under less-
stringent regulation.

9. • Microwaving. Another way to render hazardous healthcare waste non-
hazardous is to microwave it with high-powered equipment. As with
autoclaving, this method opens up the waste to normal landfill disposal
or incineration afterward.
• Chemical. Some kinds of chemical waste may be neutralized by
applying reactive chemicals that render it inert. This is generally reserved
for waste that’s chemical in nature.
• Biological. This experimental method of treating biomedical waste uses
enzymes to neutralize hazardous, infectious organisms. It’s still under
development and rarely used in practice.

10. Best Practices for Medical Waste Handling
• Healthcare workers can avoid most medical waste problems by adhering to a
few key best practices. Employees should know the laws, then classify and
separate all waste by type into the correct, color-coded waste containers.
• Waste should be labeled depending on its category, and the right documentation
should accompany all containers during transit.
• A dependable
medical waste
disposal company
can help a facility
put these best
practices to work.

11. • Know the healthcare waste laws. Healthcare waste is regulated by the DOT,
EPA, OSHA, and the DEA. It’s vital to be aware of all guidelines from each
agency when preparing, transferring, and disposing of hazardous waste.
• Classify medical waste correctly. Identifying the kind of waste you’re dealing
with is the first step in properly disposing of it. Avoid putting non-hazardous
waste in with the rest to prevent overspending.
• Separate the waste by type. Waste should be separated out into the different
categories, including sharps, pharmaceutical, chemical, pathological, and non-
hazardous. Regulated medical waste goes in red bags. Sharps that go into these
bags must be put into puncture-proof containers first.
• Use the right medical waste containers. Put all waste in approved containers
depending on how it’s classified. Some waste can go in certified cardboard
boxes, while other waste gets put in special tubs or even locked up for transit.

12. • Prepare the containers properly. Healthcare waste containers and bags must be taped for
shipment, then packaged according to DOT weight restrictions. Containers should be stored
in a secure, dry area before pickup or shipping. It’s essential to properly label all waste
before transport as well.
• Include the right documentation. Proper documentation of healthcare waste is crucial to
protect both the provider and the waste disposal company. The right paperwork should
accompany each container and bag throughout the process.
• Use the medical waste disposal color code. The color coding system for waste segregation
calls for all sharps to go in puncture resistant red biohazard containers. Biohazard waste
goes in red bags and containers. Yellow containers are for trace chemo waste, while
pharmaceutical waste goes into black containers for hazardous materials and blue for all
others. Radioactive wastes like Fluorine-18 or Iodine-131 get put in shielded containers
marked with the radioactive symbol.
• Hire the right waste disposal company. Multiple regulating bodies, various hazards, and
several different kinds of waste present a daunting challenge for healthcare employees.
Partnering with a reliable vendor is often vital.

13. Who Creates Medical Waste?
• The list of waste-generating facilities below includes all caregiver
locations like private physician practices and dental offices, but also
veterinary practices, research labs, funeral homes, and anyplace else that
meets medical needs.
i. Physician Practices
ii. Retail Health Clinics
iii. Dental Offices
iv. Urgent Care Clinics
v. Veterinary Practices
vi. Medical Research Laboratories
vii. Nursing Homes
viii. Home Healthcare or Infusion
Situations
ix. Funeral Homes
x. Hospitals
xi. Commercial Offices and
Buildings