Some basic information on healthcare waste

Proportions and hazards

Healthcare waste (HCW) is defined as the total waste stream from a healthcare facility (HCF).

Most of it (75-90%) is similar to domestic waste. This fraction refered to as healthcare general waste (HCGW) is made of paper, plastic packaging, food preparation, etc. that haven't been in contact with patients.

A smaller proportion (10-25%) is infectious/ hazardous waste that requires special treatment. This fraction referred to as healthcare risk waste (HCRW) is the one this website focuses on due to the risks that it poses both to human health and the environment.

If these two basic categories of waste aren't segregated (separated) properly, the entire volume of HCW must be considered as being infectious according to the precautionary principle, hence the importance of setting up a safe and integrated waste management system.

Exposure to HCRW can result in disease or injury. The hazardous nature of HCW may be due to one or more of the following characteristics:

• it contains infectious agents;
• it contains sharps;
• it contains hazardous chemicals or pharmaceuticals;
• it is genotoxic;
• it is radioactive.

Details about the different categories of HCW can be found further on.

Generators of HCW

HCW isn’t only produced in hospitals but in a number of other locations:

• Major sources are hospitals, clinics, laboratories, blood banks and mortuaries;
• Minor sources are physician’s office, dental clinics, pharmacies, etc.

Apart from producing different quantities of waste, these sources also produce different types of waste, that don’t all require the same kind of treatment and disposal as explained in the technical chapter.

Actors in the HCWM process

The main actors involved in the management of HCW are the:

• HCFs that generates the waste;
• service providers who collect the waste from the healthcare facilities and transport it to the treatment facilities;
• treatment facilities that process the waste to make it safe for final disposal.

Each of these major actors as well as administrative authorities and the public will need to receive appropriate training to ensure appropriate measures are taken at each level for the safe management of HCW.

Resources

The WHO manual "Safe management of wastes from healthcare activities" provides in chapter 3 information on the health impacts of HCW.