Waste Management

Healthcare Plastics Waste Recycling:
Improves Environment & Job Creation

International Bench-Mark Activities

Estimates indicate that there are about 1 million tons of clean, non-infectious healthcare plastics generated in U.S. healthcare facilities each year. While the potential of this largely untapped waste stream is obvious; how to access this waste stream is less clear.

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) - a private, technical consortium of industry peers across the healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries, recently launched the Healthcare Plastics Guide for Recyclers to help inform and educate plastics recyclers and processors about the common streams of plastic waste generated in clinical settings.

This guide includes:

• The most commonly generated healthcare plastic waste streams.

• How to partner with hospitals for a successful recycling program.

• Recycling options, including common steps in mechanically processing healthcare plastics.

• Case studies and other helpful resources.

• Technical specifications for common healthcare plastics.

One more initiative of the consortium include its flexibles projects, which will determine viable strategies for recycling multi-material flexible plastic packaging currently being discarded as hospital waste.

After learning from Western Health, many Australian and also New Zealand hospitals have implemented similar programmes. Today, around 170 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand recycle non-infectious PVC-based IV bags, face masks and oxygen tubing. Every month, 20 tonnes of PVC waste is collected and recycled. The implementation of PVC recycling in hospitals is mainly driven by staff. Due to the success of the programme, PVC recycling is now part of the nursing training in Australia.

Environmental Outcomes

Recycling clean PVC instead of putting it into waste bins can also lead to positive environmental outcomes like:

1. Reduced Energy: It saves energy and conserves valuable raw material resources. A recycled plastic product (including PVC) has approximately one quarter of the embodied energy compared to an equivalent product made with virgin resin.

2. Reduced Carbon Footprint : A life cycle assessment conducted by the University of NSW showed that PVC fluid bags instead of disposing of them in either clinical or general waste resulted in a carbon footprint reduction. Also recycling PVC in comparison to incineration result in a 77 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, while in comparison to land fill, there is an 18 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Waste Management Savings

1. Reduce Waste Management Costs : PVC recovery in hospitals reduce waste management costs against more expensive disposal options of clinical / general waste.

2. Support Jobs And Manufacturing: Preventing quality reusable materials going to landfill, supports local jobs and manufacturing as it gets new life like hose, safety mats and many more.

Biomedical Waste Categories and their segregation & collection (As per Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016)

 

Category	Types of Waste	Type of Bag or Container to be used
Yellow	(a) Human Anatomical Waste (b) Animal Anatomical Waste	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags
	(c) Soiled Waste (d) Expired or Discarded Medicines	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags or containers
	(e) Chemical Waste	Yellow coloured containers or non-chlorinated plastic bags
	(f) Chemical Liquid Waste	Separate collection system leading to effluent treatment system
	(g) Discarded linen, mattresses, beddings contaminated with blood or body fluid	Non-chlorinated yellow plastic bags or suitable packing materials
	(h) Microbiology, Biotechnology and other clinical laboratory waste	Autoclave safe plastic bags or containers
	Contaminated Waste (Recyclable)	Red Coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags or containers
	Waste sharps including metals	Puncture proof, Leak proof, tamper proof containers
	(a) Glassware (b) Metallic Body Implants	Cardboard boxes with blue colored marking Cardboard boxes with blue colored Marking

Recyclable Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Options

 

Category	Type of Waste	Type of Bag or Container to be used	Treatment and Disposal Options
Red	Contaminated Waste (Recyclable) (a) Waste generated from disposable items such as tubing, bottles, intravenous tubes and sets, Catheters, urine bags, syringes (without needles and fixed needle syringes) and vaccutainers with their needles cut) and gloves.	Red coloured nonchlorinated plastic bags or containers	Autoclaving or micro-waving / hydroclaving followed by shredding or mutilation or combination or sterilization and shredding. Treated waste to be sent to registered or authorized recyclers or for energy recovery or plastic to diesel or fuel oil or for road making, whichever is possible. Plastic waste should not be sent to landfill sites.