Medical
care is vital for our life, health and well being. But
the waste generated from medical activities can be
hazardous, toxic and even lethal because of their high
potential for diseases transmission.
Hospitals generate various kinds of wastes from wards,
operation theaters and outpatient areas. These wastes
include bandages, cotton, soiled linen, body parts,
sharps (needle, syringes etc), medicines (discarded or
expired), laboratory wastes etc which carry infection
and should be properly collected, segregated, stored,
transported, treated and disposed.
India
generates a huge quantity of Bio Medical Waste
(BMW) every year. Health care waste is a
heterogeneous mixture, which is very difficult to
manage as such.
Components Of
Bio-Medical waste
-
human anatomical waste
(tissues, organs, body parts etc.)
-
animal waste (as above,
generated during research/experimentation, from
veterinary hospitals etc.)
-
microbiology and
biotechnology waste, such as, laboratory cultures,
microorganisms, human and animal cell cultures,
toxins etc.
-
waste sharps, such as,
hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels, broken glass
etc.
-
discarded medicines and
cyto-toxic drugs
-
soiled waste, such as
dressing, bandages, plaster casts, material
contaminated with blood etc.
-
solid waste (disposable
items like tubes, catheters etc. excluding sharps)
-
liquid waste generated
from any of the infected areas
-
incineration ash
-
chemical waste
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Common Recyclable
Plastics
There is an almost endless
supply of disposable plastic materials in a typical
health care facility. However, some of the most common
recyclable medical plastics include the following:
-
Tyvek, made from
high-density polyethylene, is a common material used
in sterile barrier packaging, typically as part of a
Chevron peel pouch or lid on a rigid tray. It can be
recycled with other No. 2 plastics.
-
Sterilization wrap,
often referred to as blue wrap, is a sterile
material made from polypropylene (PP) that protects
surgical instruments and other items from
contamination. It can be recycled with other No. 5
plastics.
-
Saline bottles are a
common operating room product, typically made from
PP, and when easy to drain, can be recycled with
other No. 5 plastics.
-
Water pitchers, basins
and trays are common patient care products,
typically made from polyethylene terephthalate that
can be recycled with other No. 1 plastics.
Environmental Concerns
The following are the main environmental concerns with
respect to improper disposal of bio-medical waste
management: |
-
Spread of infection and
disease through vectors (fly, mosquito, insects
etc.) which affect the in - house as well as
surrounding population.
-
Spread of infection
through contact/injury among medical/non-medical
personnel and sweepers/rag pickers, especially from
the sharps (needles, blades etc.).
-
Spread of infection
through unauthorized recycling of disposable items
such as hypodermic needles, tubes, blades, bottles
etc.
-
Reaction due to use of
discarded medicines.
-
Toxic emissions from
defective/inefficient incinerators.
-
Indiscriminate disposal
of incinerator ash / residues.
Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council
Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC:
www.hprc.org ) is a
private technical coalition of peers across the
healthcare, recycling and waste management industries
seeking to inspire and enable sustainable,
cost-effective recycling solutions for plastic
products and materials used in the delivery of
healthcare.
HPRC
exists in a collaborative effort to be a change agent
for sustainable healthcare product and packaging
lifecycle with the end goal of increasing the overall
recycling of healthcare plastics. HPRC is unique in
its focus on identification of plastics recycling
barriers and solution development along the entire
value chain. HPRC is an organization seeking to affect
positively plastics recycling from healthcare product
design and manufacturing through product use, disposal
and recycle. |