Methods of Hospital Waste Disposal: An Overview

A thriving hospital, clinic, or primary health care unit is sure to generate a huge amount of waste every minute. Storing them within the facility for days can be prohibitive and hazardous for health. Throwing the wastes into a conventional waste bin or trash can is equally dangerous. There are certain principles to note and take heed of when you are eager to figure out the best methods of hospital waste disposal too.

It is important to prevent exposure to the bio-hazards emanating from the wastes to avoid deadly infections. This is important for both the workers within the facilities as well as the patients/visitors. Hiring a well-reputed company to take care of the disposal from start to finish can enable the management of the said facility to keep the area free from infectant despite the regular generation of bio-medical wastes.

Waste disposal from a medical facility must be done by following four specific steps, each of which is of paramount importance:

 Collection & Segregation– You must be well aware of what needs to be collected and kept away from common areas. It is best o let the professionals deal with this as they are sure to have the required skills. Identification of each type of waste is vital as they would have to be retained in specific-colored containers so that there is no mix-up during disposal. It is interesting to note that each color indicates a specific type of waste stored within it. The personnel adept at collection and storage will be able to tell the following:

• Red- The red containers contain sharp objects including needles, blades, shards of glass, razors, and broken syringes. Red containers with a prominent biohazard symbol on top indicate storage of infectious material such as blood, bodily fluid, contaminated equipment, or IV tubing
• Yellow– These containers are used to retain trace wastes generated during chemotherapy that include empty vials, and used PPE. Shielded yellow containers with a radioactive symbol are sure to contain laboratory wastes as well as wastes from the radiology unit.
• Blue– All pharmaceutical wastes such as medicines past their expiry date or vials containing injectables are retained in the blue-colored container.
• Black– This type of container holds extremely hazardous wastes such as P listed items and bulk chemo wastes

Storage & Transportation– Ensuring perfect storage in color-coded containers and retaining them in an area that is off-limits to the general public and untrained personnel are the correct procedure for remaining compliant with safety regulations. A professional company in charge of disposal will be sure to follow every guideline to a T. The medial wastes that are stored are usually transported in bulk to facilitate speedy disposal. The concerned company will have special vehicles equipped with precaution measures and defensive tools for foolproof disposal.

Remember that not all wastes generated by a health care unit or laboratory can be disposed of as it is. The professionals will have the required information about methods of hospital waste disposal and use the right treatment procedures before the transportation and disposal of wastes.