What You Need to Know About Proper Waste Disposal for Your Medical Facility

It’s no secret that practically every healthcare facility, particularly hospitals, produces a lot of waste on a regular basis. Now, this doesn’t come as a surprise, since these institutions work continuously, and have a major workload because, after all, they need to take care of different patients.

Now, the most common question when it comes to this is, do they get rid of the medical waste regularly? And if the answer is yes, what methods are they using to eliminate it effectively, and when does it happen?

If you’re wondering about it as well, don’t worry. That’s why this guide is here. It is going to provide you with all the answers, that are going to help you understand everything concerning medical waste.

First, Let’s Learn More About Medical Waste

So how can this be defined? It represents a medical waste that is generated from a medical or science department. According to some reports, that were conducted several years ago, in the United States only, almost 6 million tons of medical waste is produced every single year, and it only refers to the medical waste that comes from the hospitals.

This doesn’t include medical waste that is generated from home care, dental practices, and pharmacies. Furthermore, there are various sorts of waste that are being generated on a daily basis, however, it can only be defined as medical waste if it consists of the following:

1. Any generated waste that arrives from the hospital room where patients reside
2. Petri dishes that are packed with viruses or bacteria
3. Clothing gear that has blood, was drenched, or soaked
4. Test tubes that are filled with bodily fluids, such as semen, blood, synovial fluid, urine, vaginal secretions, and mucus, or the ones that have discarded vaccines
5. Tissue that comes from humans or animals

Now, that we determine what medical waste is, let’s dive further into different ways you can get rid of it.

Make Use Of Sharps Disposal Containers

So what can we tell you about these? Namely, sharps disposal containers are commonly utilized to place items that are contaminated and that could potentially perforate the skin. These containers must be leak-proof, puncture-proof, and properly labeled and closed to decrease the risk of potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens such as HIV, HCV, and HBV.

In some situations, homemade containers can be used instead, however, they can never fully replace sharps containers, hence it’s always much better to employ them. Of course, it’s pivotal to make sure that they are handled correctly and with maximum care.

Put Your Trust In The Hands Of The Professionals

Bear in mind that the Department of Transportation is very strict as far as this is concerned, meaning that they do not allow everyone to dispose the medical waste. Therefore, no one inexperienced should ever deal with it, because, if God forbid, something goes wrong, serious consequences may arise.

Medical waste should be put in leakproof containers that meet certain drop and puncture tests. Consequently, if you’re unsure what to do with it, then immediately contact experienced professionals to do it for you.

A Huge Benefit Of Microwave

As concluded previously, hospitals, along with other institutions that are in the healthcare industry, produce massive amounts of waste on a regular basis. This waste cannot be immediately eliminated since it could potentially contain detrimental chemicals, infected cloths, or any other utilized medical devices.

There are a couple of solutions that can disinfect all these items, and then try to reuse the medical equipment. Surprisingly, one of the most effective ways for these purposes is microwave.

How come? Well, that’s because most microorganisms get immediately killed when employing it. Water contained is quickly heated and destroys almost all infectious compounds and components.

Autoclaving

Here’s another efficient way to manage medical waste. So how does it work? It sterilizes medical waste by utilizing steam under pressure. Its main goal is to kill infectious agents, which is why it is so frequently used in a variety of different medical facilities when it’s time to get rid of medical waste. It’s not only practical, and effective, but versatile too!

Medical Waste Incineration

This can be defined as a process that implements the burning of certain wastes, such as pathological, non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste, and trace chemotherapy. For the time being, it is perceived as one of the safest, yet most efficient ways to eliminate medical waste.

Another great thing about it is the fact that it doesn’t have any negative influence on the environment, and our overall well-being. Although there are numerous other solutions that can help you dispose of medical waste, as stated above, this is one of the most effective ones because it is capable of completely destroying every type of medical waste, that other methods aren’t able to.

Where Does This Waste End Up?

Knowing where to put all this medical waste can, at times, be quite confusing, not to mention complicated as well due to the fact that some medical waste is very detrimental, while there are those that aren’t as much.

If you are not sure whether you are dealing with hazardous or non-hazardous waste, then it would be advisable to contact a professional, because, after all, you do not want to jeopardize your safety with a potentially dangerous waste.

Drop-off facilities are oftentimes used in these instances. If you live in California, then you should do your homework to find one that’s in your nearest vicinity. Fortunately, there are a number of sites that are intended for this type of waste (like pharmaceutical medicines, sharp needles, etc.).

Treatment, Storage, And Disposal Facilities

If your company produces large amounts of medical waste, yet you cannot leave it at drop-off sites, then your next option is to turn it into a treatment, storage, and disposal facility. Just don’t forget that it must be taken by a licensed hazardous waste transporter if it’s potentially dangerous.

As you can see, dealing with medical waste is not as simple as handling normal waste. Therefore, it’s of huge importance to organize everything the right way, if you want to ensure nothing is left behind.