MANUAL ON HEALTHCARE WASTE MANAGEMENT, THIRD EDITION

• Not be located in flood prone areas.

• Be secured (e.g. fenced with warning signs).
• Be downhill or down-gradient from any nearby wells and about 50 meters away from any water body such as
rivers or lakes to prevent contaminating water source.
• Have the bottom of the pit located at least 1.5 meters above ground water level.
HCF shall keep a permanent record of the size and location of all their on-site burial pits to prevent construction
workers, builders and others from digging in those areas in the future. The safe burial of waste depends critically on
rational operational practices. It shall be noted that safe on-site burial is practicable only for relatively limited period,
about 1 to 2 years, and for relatively small quantities of waste, about 5 to 10 tons in total. When these conditions have
been exceeded, a long-term solution will be needed.
6.5.3 Septic/Concrete Vault
This method is especially suitable for the disposal of used sharps and syringes. The following steps shall be observed:
1. Select a site that is isolated and at least 150 meters away from the water supply sources and dwelling units.
2. Dig a pit (minimum size of 1m x 1m x 1.8m depth) enough to accommodate sharps and syringes for an estimated
period of time without reaching the groundwater level.
3. Construct concrete walls and slabs of pit.
4. Provide slab with opening or manhole for easy deposition of collected sharps and syringes. The manhole shall
be extended a few centimeters above the soil surface to overcome infiltration of surface water.
5. Deposit the collected safety boxes filled with used sharps and needles inside the concrete vault.
6. Install a security fence around the site with signage. 80