January 2024. Healthcare Waste (HCW), also called Medical Waste, refers to the hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated from healthcare facilities, including used needles, blood, body parts, chemicals, diagnostic samples, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. HCW sources include hospitals, laboratories, blood banks, dental clinics, ambulance centers, nursing homes, autopsy centers, veterinary clinics, and medical colleges. Hazardous HCW types include infectious, pathological, pharmaceutical, genotoxic, and radioactive. Non-hazardous HCW types include paper, plastic packaging, food (organic), aerosols, electronics, and glass. Improper handling and disposal of HCW has negative impacts on the environment, human health, and on the economy: Incineration of waste produces carbon and GHG emissions, releases harmful pollutants, and can contaminate groundwater. Health risks include transmission of infectious diseases, radiation burns, immune and endocrine system impairment. Economically, lack of recycling leads to increased waste volume and higher landfill costs, while lost productivity is due to health problems associated with exposure to contaminants. Healthcare facilities failing to comply face large fines. Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) is defined as the sustainable disposal of HCW using environmentally safe and cost-effective technologies while minimizing health risks associated with waste handling. A sustainable HCW management strategy aims to avoid creating HCW from the beginning, or minimizing it to a large degree by (1) Using recyclable materials and biodegradable plastics (2) Reusing items such as glass, ceramic cups, and thermometers (3) Reducing packaging and medication waste and (4) Using food waste for compost and biofuel production. Sustainable HCW management stages are (1) Collection by healthcare facility staff (2) Segregation of waste into regular non-hazardous waste, which will be sent to conventional municipal treatment facilities, and HCW. (3) Transportation of HCW from the healthcare facility to HCW treatment facility (4) Treatment using appropriate methods to achieve desired disinfection and (5) Disposal of treated waste in a HCW designated landfill. Policy wise, in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched a global initiative to ensure adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services in healthcare facilities, including addressing proper HCW treatment. Successful and sustainable global HCW management system can significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 6, 8 ,12, and 13. In this slideshow, you will learn about the definition, sources, types, effects, sustainable HCW management, UN policy, and global statistics of healthcare waste. For more slideshows on environmental sustainability, please visit s2adesign.com

1. HEALTHCARE
WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Dr. Salem Baidas

2. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY SLIDESHOWS
FROM s2adesign.com
S2ADESIGN.COM

3. AGENDA
DEFINITION
01
EFFECTS
02
MANAGEMENT
03
UN POLICY
04
INFOGRAPHICS
05

5. Healthcare waste
HCW, or Medical Waste, Refers to the
Hazardous or Non-Hazardous Waste
Generated from Healthcare Facilities
Including Used Needles, Blood, Body
Parts, Chemicals, Diagnostic Samples
Medical Devices, and Medications.

6. Hospitals Laboratories Blood banks
Dental clinics Ambulance centers Nursing homes
Autopsycenters Veterinary Medicalcolleges
sources
Healthcarewaste
CDN.WHO.INT

7. Containing Pathogens or Toxins that Can Cause Diseases. The
Most Common Pathogens are Viruses, Bacteria, and Parasites.
Infectious
Body Part Including Organs, Tissues, Surgical Specimens, and
Bodily Fluids that were Removed During Surgery.
Pathological
Expired, Unused, and Contaminated Medications or Vaccines.
Pharmaceutical
Medications Used in Cancer Treatment. They Pose Safety
Concerns Due to their Cytotoxic Effects (Cell Damage).
Genotoxic
Generated by Nuclear Medicine Technologies. Containing
Ionizing Radiations with Genotoxic Effects (DNA Damage).
Radioactive
INTECHOPEN.COM
types
Hazardous healthcarewaste

8. Paper
ELECTRONICS
Plastics
Aerosols
Food
GLASS
WEDOCS.UNEP.ORG
types
Non-Hazardoushealthcare waste

9. ENVIRONMENT health ECONOMY
Negative impacts
Healthcarewaste

10. EPA.GOV
 Incineration Produces Carbon
and GHG Emissions.
 Incineration of waste Releases
Harmful Pollutants such as
Dioxins, Furans, PCBs, and Toxic
Metals.
 Chemicals from Waste Can Leach
and Contaminate Groundwater
Once they are in the Landfill.
Negative environmental impacts
Healthcarewaste

11. INTECHOPEN.COM
 Transmission of Infectious
Diseases Especially from Needles.
 Radiation Burns and Poisoning
from Radioactive Waste.
 Impairment of the Immune and
Endocrine Systems from Dioxins
and Furans Exposure.
 The Improper Handling of HCW
Poses a Significant Health Risk to
Waste Handlers.
Negative health impacts
Healthcarewaste

12.  The Lack of Recycling Leads to
Increased Waste Volume and
Higher Landfilling Cost.
 Lost Productivity Due to Health
Problems Associated with
Exposure to Contaminates.
 Healthcare Facilities that Fail to
Comply with Regulations Face
Large Fines.
DANIELSHEALTH.COM
Negative economic impacts
Healthcarewaste

13. HCW management
The Sustainable Disposal of HCW Using
Environmentally Safe and Cost-Effective
Technologies while Minimizing Health
Risks Associated with Waste Handling.

14. s
Use Recyclable &
Biodegradable
Materials.
Reduce Packaging &
Medication Waste.
Reuse Items such as
Glass, Ceramic Cups
& Thermometers.
Use Food Waste for
Compost & Biofuel.
Not Creating Waste is the Best Strategy
SUSTAINABLE hcw MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
NEWS-MEDICAL.NET

15. SEGREGATION
Of Waste into
Regular Waste
and HCW.
TRANSPORT
To Treatment
Facility.
COLLECTION
By Healthcare
Facility Staff.
USAID.GOV
STAGES
SUSTAINABLE hcw MANAGEMENT

16. DISPOSAL
At HCW Designated
Landfill.
TREATMENT
To Achieve Desired
Disinfection.
USAID.GOV
STAGES
SUSTAINABLE hcw MANAGEMENT

18. initiative
In 2015 WHO and UNICEF Launched
a Global Initiative to Ensure Adequate
Water Sanitation Services in Healthcare
Facilities Including Addressing HCW.
Successful Global HCW Management
System Can Significantly Contribute
to Achieving SDGs 3, 6, 8 ,12, and 13.
WHO.INT
UN World Health Organization
HCW Waste Management

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9.7
6.6
4.1
3.6

20. %
NON-HAZARDOUS
%
HAZARDOUS
WEDOCS.UNEP.ORG
GLOBAL healthcare waste generation
By type (share)

21. 8.4
8.2
5.7
5.3
4.6
4.4
4.0
4.0
3.9
3.6
3.6
U.S.
Canada
Lebanon
Kazakhstan
Turkey
Spain
China
Italy
Norway
Germany
Greece
MINOGLOU ET AL. (2017) HCW GENERATION WORLDWIDE
LEADING COUNTRIES IN HCW GENERATION rate IN 2017
HCWGR (Kg/Bed/Day)

22. 320
222
106
55
49
27
18
15
Japan
India
Indonesia
Thailand
South Africa
Malaysia
Nepal
Mexico
WEDOCS.UNEP.ORG
HCW GENERATION IN SELECTED COUNTRIESIN 2020
thousand metric tons

23. 24
23
39
13
50
30
33
42
24
50
0
16
43
35
37
37
50
54
World
LAC
Asia
Africa
N. America
Europe
Dedicated General None
WEDOCS.UNEP.ORG
ADOPTED LEGISLATION ON HCW MANAGEMENTIN 2020
by region (percent)

24. 85%
Of the Global
HCW Generated
in 2012 was
Non-Hazardous.
8.4KG 320TMT 24%
Per Bed Per Day
was the HCWGR
of the U.S. in
2017.
HCW Generated
in Japan in 2020.
Of Countries
Worldwide
Adopted HCW
Legislations in
2020.
Global healthcare waste generation
key highlights
WEDOCS.UNEP.ORG

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