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Hospitals generate more than two million tons of waste each year. In the past, many hospitals simply dumped all waste streams together, from reception-area trash to operating-room waste, and burned them in incinerators. Now we know that incineration is a leading source of highly toxic dioxin, mercury, lead and other dangerous air pollutants.
HCWH works to eliminate the dangerous practice of incineration, as well as to minimize the amount and toxicity of all waste generated by the health care sector. In order to fulfill the medical ethic to "first do no harm," the health care industry has a responsibility to manage waste in ways that protect the public and the environment.
The first step is waste minimization and segregation. The infectious waste stream must then be treated to prevent the spread of disease. HCWH's review of medical waste treatment technologies found that cost-effective alternative technologies are available that are safer and cleaner than incineration, and just as effective at rendering medical waste harmless.
In April 2002, HCWH released a report on Stericycle, the nation's largest medical waste disposal company. To learn more about HCWH's efforts to ensure that Stericycle is disposing of waste in the most responsible way possible, see Stericycle Watch. Read more about how community groups across the U.S. and around the world are fighting to close medical waste incinerators on the Local Incineration Fights page.
In April 2003, HCWH announced the winners of its International Competition for Innovative Technologies for the Treatment of Medical Waste in Rural Areas. HCWH launched the competition in April 2002 in order to promote cleaner, low-cost treatment technologies for rural areas. For more information on the contest and the winning designs, visit the contest website or view the results brochure, Minimizing Harm, Maximizing Health.
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Key Resources
 Alternative Technologies Report
How to Shut Down an Incinerator Toolkit
Stericycle: Living Up to its Mission? (pdf)
Waste Minimization, Segregation and Recycling in Hospitals (pdf)
Tools for communities with incinerators
Tools for waste handlers
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