The Issue

There is tremendous scope for hospitals to reduce the amount of hazardous waste they produce; in Europe, this can be anything from a 75% to 98% reduction, depending on the type of establishment and the scope of services provided.

Minimising the amount of hazardous waste a hospital produces brings many financial, environmental and health benefits.

• By separating municipal and genuinely infectious waste, hospitals minimise the amount of waste that requires the most expensive forms of treatment. Savings can quickly exceed the cost of training.
• Since much infectious waste is incinerated, which pollutes the environment, then segregation reduces a hospital's environmental footprint.
• Effective segregation keeps ordinary glass, plastic and paper away from infectious materials, allowing them to be recycled instead of burned or chewed up, sterilised and then landfilled.

Improving waste segregation does not require changes to medical procedures, and staff do not need to take on new duties. It is primarily about a change in process, one that can be introduced smoothly and relatively quickly.

The chart below shows the typical composition of healthcare waste in Europe. Note that almost 71 percent is standard municipal waste, such as paper, plastic, glass and cardboard. This only becomes infectious or hazardous waste if it is contaminated by coming into contact with other waste streams.