OUR LADY OF LOURDES COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Vinzons Avenue, Daet, Camarines Norte

College of Medical Technology
1st Semester S.Y. 2020-2021
Course: Principles of Medical Laboratory Science 1

MODULE 11. Healthcare Waste Management

Intended Learning Outcomes:

After completing this module, the students should be able to:
1. Discuss the importance of proper waste management in health care
facilities
2. Examine the laws and regulations governing health care waste
management
3. Describe the proper identification, segregation, collection,
storage, transport, treatment, and disposal of health care wastes

Introduction
The disposal of wastes generated by health care facilities has become a
growing concern in the country and around the world. In 2015, a joint
WHO/UNICEF assessment found that just over half (58%) of sampled facilities
from 24 countries had adequate systems in place for the safe disposal of
health care wastes. This issue is given special attention as the wastes
generated by the health care industry may be hazardous to nature and are
detrimental to a person's health and to the environment. As such, all health
care facilities are tasked to ensure that there are no adverse health effects
and environmental consequences resulting from their generation, segregation,
collection, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal of health care
wastes.
PICLOY, RMT, MSMLS
Learning Activities
If necessary, any substantive changes on the learning activities will
be communicated on the group chat.
MODULE

Healthcare Waste Management

Defining Health Care Wastes

Health care wastes refer to all solid or liquid wastes generated by any of
the following activities:
1. diagnosis, treatment, and immunization of humans; diagnosis, treatment,
and immunization
2. research pertaining to of humans;
3. research using laboratory animals geared towards improvement of human
health;
4. production and testing of biological products; and
5. other activities performed by a healthcare facility that generates
wastes.

According to WHO, between 75 and 90 percent of wastes generated by health

care activities on average are non-hazardous. The remaining 10 to 25 percent
is considered hazardous and may be infectious, toxic, or radioactive. High-
income countries typically generating larger volumes of health care wastes
produce 0.5 kg of hazardous waste per hospital bed per day while low-income
countries generate 0.2 kg on average. However, proper segregation of
hazardous and non-hazardous wastes in low-income countries tends to be less
implemented, thus making the real quantity of hazardous wastes much higher.
In the Philippines, 30.37 percent of wastes from health care facilities are
hazardous while the remaining 69.63 percent are general wastes. Philippine
hospitals generate an average of 0.34 kg of infectious sharps and
pathological wastes and 0.39 kg of general wastes per bed per day.

All health care facilities, institutions, business establishments, and other

spaces where health care services are offered with activities or work
processes that generate health care wastes are called health care waste
generators. These include
1. hospitals and medical centers
2. infirmaries
3. birthing homes
4. clinics and other health-related facilities
a. medical
b. ambulatory
c. dialysis
d. health care centers and dispensaries
e. surgical
f. alternative medicine
g. dental
h. veterinary
5. laboratories and research centers
a. medical and biomedical laboratories
b. medical research centers
c. blood banks and blood collection services
d. dental prosthetic laboratories e nuclear medicine laboratories
 f. biotechnology laboratories
g. animal research and testing
h. drug testing laboratories
i. HIV testing laboratories
6. drug manufacturers
7. institutions
a. drug rehabilitation centers
b. training centers for embalmers
e medical technology internship training centers
d. schools of Radiologic Technology
e. medical schools
f nursing homes
g. dental schools
8. mortuary and autopsy centers

Categories of Health Care Wastes

Health care wastes generated by health care facilities are categorized into
seven infectious waste, pathological and anatomical waste, sharps, chemical
waste, pharmaceutical waste, radioactive waste, and non-hazardous or general
waste.

1. Infectious Waste refers to all wastes suspected to contain pathogens or

toxins
in sufficient concentration that may cause disease a susceptible host. It
includes discarded materials or equipment used for diagnosis, treatment, and
management of patients with infectious diseases. Examples include discarded
microbial cultures, solid wastes with infections such as dressings, sputum
cups, urine containers, and blood bags, liquid wastes with infections such as
blood, urine, vomitus, and other body secretions, and food wastes (liquid or
solid) coming from patients with highly infectious diseases.

2. Pathological and Anatomical Waste refers to tissue sections and body fluids or
organs derived from biopsies, autopsies, or surgical procedures sent to the
laboratory for examination. Examples include internal organs and tissues used
for histopathological examinations. Anatomical waste is a subgroup of
pathological waste that refers to recognizable body parts usually from
amputation procedures.

3. Sharps refer to waste items that can cause cuts, pricks, or puncture wounds.
They are considered the most dangerous health care waste because of their
potential to cause both injury and infection. Examples include used syringes
in phlebotomy, blood lancets, surgical knives, and broken glasswares.

4. Chemical Waste refers to discarded chemicals (solid, liquid, or gaseous)

generated during disinfection and sterilization procedures. It also includes
wastes with high content of heavy metals and their derivatives. Common
examples of this type of waste are laboratory reagents, X-ray film developing
solutions, disinfectants and soaking solutions, used batteries, concentrated
ammonia solution, concentrated hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, and mercury from
broken thermometers and sphygmomanometers. Chemicals are considered hazardous
when they are
▪ toxic (with health and environment hazards)
▪ corrosive (acid of pH<2.0 and bases of pH>12.0)
▪ flammable with a flash point below 60 °C) reactive (explosive with
water)
Examples of common chemical wastes found in health care facilities are shown
in the table below.

Common chemical waste in health care facilities

Chemical Waste Examples
Acids acetic, chromic, hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric
Alcohols ethanol, isopropanol, phenols
Aldehydes formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, ortho-phthalaldehyde
ammonium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide,
Bases sodium bicarbonate
calcium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, iodine solutions,
Halogenated
iodophors, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, sodium hypochlorite
disinfectants (bleach)
Halogenated chloroform, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene,
solvents refrigerants, trichloroethylene
Metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, silver
Non-halogenated acetone, acetonitrile, ethanol, ethyl acetate, formaldehyde,
solvents isopropanol, methanol, toluene, xylenes
Other hydrogen peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, quaternary amines
disinfectants
hydrogen peroxide, potassium dichromate, potassium
Oxidizers permanganate
Reducers sodium bisulfite, sodium sulfite
anesthetic gases, asbestos, ethylene oxide, herbicides,
Miscellaneous paints,
pesticides, waste oils

5. Pharmaceutical Waste refers to expired, spilt, and contaminated

pharmaceutical products, drugs, and vaccines including discarded items used
in handling pharmaceuticals. It includes antineoplastic, cytotoxic, and
genotoxic wastes such as drugs used in oncology or radiotherapy, and
biological fluids from patients treated with the said drugs. Examples include
empty drug vials, medicine bottles, and containers of cytotoxic drugs
including materials used for their preparation and administration such as
syringes, needles, and vials.

6. Radioactive Waste refers to wastes exposed to radionuclides including

radioactive
diagnostic materials or radiotherapeutic materials. Residues from shipment of
radioactive materials and unwanted solutions of radionuclides intended for
diagnostic or therapeutic use are examples of radioactive wastes as well as
liquids, gases, and solids contaminated with radionuclides whose ionizing
radiations have genotoxic effects. In the hospital, usual examples of
radioactive wastes include cobalt (Co 90), technetium (99 Tc), iodine (131 I)
and iridium (192 Ir), irradiated blood products and contaminated waste,
patient's excretion, and all materials used by patients exposed to
radionuclides within 48 hours.

7. Non-hazardous or General Waste refers to wastes that have not been in contact
with communicable or infectious agents, hazardous chemicals, or radioactive
substances, and do not pose a hazard. Examples include plastic bottles, used
paper products, office wastes, scrap wood, and food waste of non-infectious
patients. This type of waste can be further classified as

a. Recyclable wastes in health care facilities such as

▪ paper products such as used office paper, computer printouts, and
corrugated cardboard boxes
▪ aluminum from beverage cans and other aluminum containers
 ▪ pressurized gas containers such as oxygen tanks plastic products
including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic water bottles,
plastic milk containers, and polypropylene plastic bottles for saline
solutions and irrigation fluids
▪ glass such as used vials for sterile solutions
▪ wood such as scrap wood and used wood shipping pallets
▪ durable goods such as used furniture and furnishings
▪ electronic devices such as used computer equipment and print cartridges
b. Biodegradable health care wastes such as left-over food from non-infectious
patients and garden wastes such as grass trimmings and tree cuttings

c. Non-recyclable/non-biodegradable health care wastes that cannot be classified into

either of the first two categories

Impact of Health Care Wastes

Individuals exposed to health care wastes such as the medical staff (doctors,
nurses, medical technologists, etc.), in- and out-patients, visitors,
caregivers, support staff, waste haulers, garbage pickers, and the general
public are potentially at risk of being injured or infected. Other potential
hazards may include drug-resistant microorganisms that can spread from health
facilities into the environment. Exposure of the general population can be
mainly through chronic exposure (for prolonged periods in minute quantities)
or acute exposure (for
short periods in large quantities).

Adverse health outcomes associated with health care wastes and by-products
also include:
⎯ sharps-inflicted injuries
⎯ toxic exposure to pharmaceutical products, in particular, antibodies and
cytotoxic drugs released into the surrounding environment, and to
substances such as mercury or dioxins, during the handling or incineration
of health care wastes
⎯ chemical burns from disinfection, sterilization, or waste treatment
activities
⎯ air pollution arising as a result of the release of particulate matter
during medical waste incineration
⎯ thermal injuries occurring in conjunction with open burning and the
operation of medical waste incinerators
⎯ radiation burns

Treatment and disposal of health care wastes may pose health risks indirectly
through the release of pathogens and toxic pollutants into the environment.
Following are some guidelines in the treatment and disposal of health care wastes:
⎯ The disposal of untreated health care wastes in landfills can lead to the
contamination of drinking, surface, and ground waters if those landfills
are not properly constructed
⎯ The treatment of health care wastes with chemical disinfectants can result
in the release of chemical substances into the environment if those
substances are not handled, stored and disposed in an environmentally-
sound manner.
⎯ Incineration of waste is widely practiced, but inadequate incineration or
the incineration of unsuitable materials results in the release of
pollutants into the air and in the generation of ash residue. Incinerated
materials containing or treated with chlorine can generate dioxins and
furans, which are human carcinogens and have been associated with a range
of adverse health effects. Incineration of heavy metals or materials with
high metal content (in particular lead, mercury, and cadmium) can lead to
the spread of toxic metals in the environment.
⎯ Only modern incinerators operating at 850°C to 1100°C and fitted with
special gas cleaning equipment are able to comply with the international
emission standards for dioxins and furans. It should be noted that
 disposal of health care wastes by incineration is not allowed in the
Philippines.
⎯ Alternatives to incineration such as autoclaving, microwaving, and steam
treatment integrated with internal mixing, which minimize the formation
and release of chemicals or hazardous emissions should be given
consideration in settings where there are sufficient resources to operate
and maintain such systems and disposal of the treated waste.

The following are the benefits achieved through proper and strict compliance with standards on the management
of health care wastes:
⎯ protection of patients, health workers, and the general population from
the adverse effects of health care wastes to human health;
⎯ contribution to the collaborative efforts around the world to protect the
environment from pollution and contamination caused by health care wastes;
⎯ increased compliance of health care institutions to the laws, regulations,
and guidelines on health care wastes; and
⎯ prevention of long-term liabilities and loss of reputation caused by
violations to the laws, regulations, and guidelines on health care wastes.

Legislation, Policies, and Guidelines Governing Health Care Wastes

Health care facilities should be familiar with the laws and regulations
regarding the generation, collection, storage, transport, treatment, and
disposal of health care wastes. This will ensure that each facility will be
able to develop a sound health care waste management system that adheres to
established standards.

International agreements pertaining to health care waste management

1. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987) was adopted
in Montreal, Canada on September 16, 1987 and came into force, as agreed
upon, on January 1, 1989. It sets the final objective of the Protocol to
eliminate ozone depleting substances in the environment.

2. The Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and Their Disposal (1989) is concerned with the transboundary movements of
hazardous waste. The countries that signed the Convention accepted the
principle that only legitimate transboundary shipments of hazardous waste are
exported from countries that lack the facilities or expertise to safely
dispose certain wastes to other countries that have both facilities and
expertise.

3. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) includes a

legally non-binding pledge that by the year 2000, major industrialized
nations would voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990
levels.

4. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001) is a global treaty

to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic
pollutants (POPs). POPs are chemicals that (1) remain unchanged in the
environment for long periods of time; (2) accumulate in the fatty tissues of
living organisms; and (3) are toxic to both humans and wildlife.

5. The ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit (1998) is a

core instrument that provides nine high level protocols that set out generic
standards to be put into place for the implementation of an international
transit system. Specifically,
the framework agreement includes Protocol 9 on Dangerous Goods which provides
provisions on the transport of toxic and infectious substances.
Health Care Waste Management System
Health care wastes generated by health care facilities generally follow a
well-defined flow from the point of generation down to their treatment and
disposal. In the health care waste management hierarchy, it is highly
preferable to prevent the generation of wastes and to reduce the quantity of
generated wastes by using different methods of reusing, recycling, and
recovering wastes.

Health Care Waste Management Hierarchy

The most important step in the proper management of health care wastes is
waste minimization using an approach known as the Green Procurement Policy. This
policy involves two aspects-waste prevention and waste reduction. Through
proper procurement planning wastes are minimized even before their
generation, Health care facilities are encouraged to avail of services that
are the least harmful to the environment and to purchase less polluting
products. Also, waste reduction from the source is implemented by encouraging
proper waste segregation to determine the nature and volume of generated
wastes to allow efficient waste management at the least cost.

Safely reusing, recycling, and recovering wastes are collectively termed as

resource development. Reusing refers to either finding a new application for a
used material or using the same product for the same application repeatedly.
Safety and efficiency, however, should be considered when reusing medical
items and devices. For example, laboratory glassware like glass culture tubes
can be used repeatedly after decontamination. Recycling refers to the
processing of used materials into new products. Computer printouts from the
hospital, for example, can be sold and recycled into new paper products. The
recovery of waste, on the other hand, is defined in two ways: (1) energy
recovery, whereby waste is converted to fuel for generating electricity or
for direct heating of premises and (2) as a term used to encompass three
subsets of waste recovery: recycling, composting, and energy recovery.

For wastes that cannot be safely reused, recycled, or recovered the end of
pipe approach is implemented. This approach to health care waste management
involves two aspects: treatment and disposal. Waste treatment is the process of
changing the biological and chemical characteristics of waste to minimize its
potential to cause harm. Waste disposal, on the other hand, refers to
discharging, depositing, placing, or releasing any health care waste into
air, land, or water. Not all types of wastes require treatment. For example,
food wastes from in-patients can be disposed of through composting without
the need for treatment. However, some materials need to be treated first
before disposal. Effluent wastewater from hospitals, for example, needs to
undergo sewage treatment prior to its release to the environment.
Segregation, Collection, Storage, and Transport of Health Care Wastes
Health care facilities are tasked to ensure that generated wastes are
properly and safely managed. To ensure this, health care wastes must be
segregated, collected, stored, and transported while considering risk and
occupational safety and compliance with existing laws, policies, and
guidelines. Hazardous wastes must never be mixed with general wastes and
there must be a waste management officer responsible for the management of
the health care wastes of a facility.

The effective management of health care wastes considers the basic elements
of waste minimization, identification, and segregation. Segregation at the
source of waste generation should be the responsibility of the waste
generator. Segregation is the process of separating different types of waste
at the point of generation until their final disposal. To improve the
efficiency of the segregation and minimize the incorrect use of bins: proper
placement, labelling of waste bins, and use of color-coded plastic liners
must be strictly implemented. The purpose of color coding is to make it
easier for personnel in a health care facility to put waste into correct bins
and maintain segregation during collection, storage, transport, treatment,
and disposal.

Guidelines for the proper labelling, marking, and color coding for waste segregation in health care
facilities
Type of Waste Specifications
BIN: Strong leak-proof bin with cover labelled "Infectious" with biohazard symbol
LINER: Yellow plastic that can withstand autoclaving with 0.009 mm thickness and
Infectious Waste labelled "Infectious Waste" with a tag indicating source and weight of waste and date of
collection; may or may not have biohazard symbol
BIN: Strong leak-proof bin with cover labelled "Pathological/Anatomical Waste" with
biohazard symbol
Pathological and
LINER: Yellow plastic that can withstand autoclaving with 0.009 mm thickness and
Anatomical Wastes labelled "Pathological/Anatomical Waste with a tag indicating source and weight of waste
and date of collection. Biohazard symbols optional
BIN: Puncture-proof container with wide mouth and cover labelled "Sharps" with
Sharps biohazard symbol
LINER: Not applicable
BIN: Labelled "Chemical Waste"; For liquid chemical waste, inside the bin is a disposal
bottle made of amber-colored glass with at least 4 liters capacity that is strong chemical-
Chemical waste resistant, and leak-proof.
LINER: Yellow with black band plastic with 0.009 mm thickness and labelled "Chemical
Waste" with a tag indicating source and weight of waste and date of collection
BIN: Strong leak-proof bin with cover labelled "Pharmaceutical Waste" for expired drugs
and drug containers and "Cytotoxic Waste" for cytotoxic, genotoxic, and antineoplastic
Pharmaceutical waste
waste LINER: Yellow with black band plastic with 0.009 mm thickness and labelled
"Pharmaceutical Waste" with a tag indicating source and weight of waste and date of
collection
BIN: Radiation proof repositories, leak-proof, and lead-lined container labelled with
name of radionuclide and date of deposition with radioactive symbol
Radioactive waste LINER: Orange plastic with 0.009 mm thickness and labelled "Radioactive with a tag
indicating name of radionuclide and date of deposition
BIN: Optional recycle symbol for recyclable non-hazardous wastes; varying sizes
depending on the volume of waste.
General waste LINER: Black or colorless plastic for non-biodegradable and green for biodegradable
with a thickness of 0.009 mm with a tag indicating source, weight of waste, and date of
collection

In the implementation of a color-coding system for health care wastes, the following practices should be
observed:
1. Highly infectious waste must be disinfected at source.
2. Anatomical waste including recognizable body parts, placenta should be
disposed through safe burial or cremation. waste, and organs
3. Pathological waste must be refrigerated if not collected or treated within
24 hours.
4. Sharps must be shredded or crushed before they are transported to the
landfill.
5. Chemical and pharmaceutical wastes shall be segregated and collected
separately. Wastes with high content of heavy metals, except mercury,
should be collected separately and sent to the waste treatment facility.
Waste containing mercury must be collected separately. Hazardous chemical
waste shall never be mixed or disposed down the drain but shall be stored
in strong chemical resistant leak-proof containers or amber disposal
bottles. Expired and discolored pharmaceuticals should be returned to the
pharmacy for temporary storage to be returned to the manufacturer/
supplier. Pharmaceuticals shall be kept in their original packaging for
proper identification and prevention of possible reaction with other
chemicals.
6. Radioactive waste has to be decayed to background radiation levels. If it
has reached the background radiation level and is not mixed with
infectious or chemical waste, the radioactive waste is considered as
regular non-infectious waste.
7. All waste bins must be properly covered to prevent cross contamination.
8. Aerosol containers can be collected with the general waste. Aside from the
information placed on the tag yellow plastic liners should also be
labelled with symbols appropriate for the types of waste they contain. The
following are the symbols used by the DENR Environmental Management Bureau
together with other universally accepted hazard symbols.

1) Recycle Symbol
2) Old Radiation Symbol
3) Cytotoxic Symbol
4) Flammable Liquid Symbol
5) Biohazard Symbol
6) New Radiation Symbol/ Ionizing Radiation Sign
7) Infectious Symbol
8) Flammable Solid Symbol
9) Corrosive
10) Explosive Symbol
11) Reactive Symbol
12) Poison/ Toxic Symbol

Health care facilities should have storage areas for general wastes,
recyclable materials, hazardous wastes, and phased-out mercury devices.
Cytotoxic wastes must be stored separately from other wastes in a designated
secured location while radioactive wastes must be stored in containers that
can prevent dispersion of radiation during the period that their radionuclide
contents are being allowed to decay.

Proper collection and transport of health care wastes are important

components in health care waste management. Their implementation requires
commitment and cooperation among all the workers in the health care facility.
There must be a regular on-site collection of wastes and these must be
transported using designated trolleys to the facility's waste treatment area
or waste storage facility. During on-site collection and transport, the
personnel hauling the wastes must be properly trained and should wear
appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize the risk of
infection and injury, For off-site transport of health care wastes, only
accredited DENR transporters and official waste collectors are allowed to
transport wastes from the health care facility to a
Treatment/Storage/Disposal (TSD) facility or to the final disposal site.

Treatment and Disposal of Health Care Wastes

Proper waste treatment is necessary to ensure that health care wastes do not
pose harm to the people and the environment. The manner of waste treatment
usually varies and largely depends on the type of waste that needs to be
inactivated and its potential impact. Health care wastes can be
decontaminated either by sterilization or disinfection. Sterilization kills
all microorganisms while disinfection reduces the level of microorganisms
present in the material.

Listed below are the acceptable technologies and methods used in the treatment of health care wastes.
1. Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of health care wastes in the absence
of supplied molecular oxygen in the destruction chamber where the said waste
is converted into gaseous, liquid, or solid form. This can handle the full
range of health care wastes. Waste residues may be in the form of greasy
aggregates or slugs, recoverable metals, or carbon black. These residues are
disposed in a landfill.

2. Autoclave is the use of steam sterilization to render waste harmless and is

an efficient wet thermal disinfection process. This method of using pressure
and heat is widely used and the usual setting is at 121 C with a pressure of
15 psi for 15 to 30 minutes. Indicators such as color-changing tapes or
biological test ampules containing bacterial spores can be used to check the
validity of the sterilization.
3. Microwave is a technology that typically incorporates some type of size
reduction device. Shredding of wastes is done before disinfection. In this
process, waste is exposed to microwaves that raise the temperature to 100 °C
(237.6 °F) for at least 30 minutes. Microorganisms are destroyed by moist
heat which irreversibly coagulates and denatures enzymes and structural
proteins.

4. In chemical disinfection, chemicals like sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen

peroxide, peroxyacetic acid, and heated alkali are added to health care
wastes to kill or inactivate present pathogens. It is recommended that sodium
hypochlorite (bleach) with a concentration of 5 percent be used for chemical
disinfection. This method, however, generates chemical wastes from the used
chemical disinfectants.

5. Biological process uses an enzyme mixture to decontaminate health care wastes.

The resulting by-product is put through an extruder to remove water for
wastewater disposal. The technology is suited for large applications and is
also being developed for possible use in the agricultural sector.

6. Encapsulation involves the filling of containers with waste, adding and

immobilizing material, and sealing the containers. The process uses either
cubic boxes made of high-density polyethylene or metallic drums, that are
three-quarters filled with sharps, or chemicals or pharmaceutical residues.
The containers or boxes are then filled up with a medium such as plastic
foam, bituminous sand, and cement mortar. After the medium has dried, the are
sealed and disposed in a landfill.

7. Inertization is especially suitable for pharmaceutical waste that involves the

mixing of waste with cement and other substances before disposal. For the
inertization of pharmaceutical waste, the packaging shall be removed, the
pharmaceuticals ground and a mixture of water, lime, and cement will be
added. The homogenous mass produced can be transported to a suitable storage
site. Alternatively, the homogeneous mixture can be transported in liquid
state to a landfill and poured into municipal waste. The process is
relatively inexpensive and can be performed using relatively unsophisticated
equipment.

After treatment, health care wastes are usually disposed in landfills. A

landfill is an engineered site designed to keep waste isolated from the
environment. This site must secure proper permits from DENR before it can
accept wastes. Health care wastes that are properly treated can be mixed with
general wastes provided that it is certified by the DOH that the organisms in
the waste products are inert and cannot regenerate. For health care
facilities in far-flung areas with no access to landfills, disposal is
usually through safe burial. As a disposal method, safe burial is only
applicable to treated infectious wastes, sharps, pathological and anatomical
wastes, small quantities of encapsulated/inertisized solid chemical and
pharmaceutical wastes and only allowed in health care facilities located in
remote areas. Used sharps and syringes can also be disposed using septic
concrete vaults if the health care facility has no access to a TSD facility.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:
▪ Health care wastes are by-products of the activities performed
by a health care facility.
▪ Health care facilities generate large amounts of wastes which
can be harmful to patients, health personnel, the general
population, and the environment.
▪ There are seven categories of health care wastes with designated
colors, labels, markings, and specifications for their disposal.
▪ There must be a proper procedure for the generation,
segregation, collection, storage, transport, treatment, and
disposal of health care wastes.
▪ The proper management of health care wastes should focus
primarily on waste minimization.
▪ The success of health care waste management systems depends on
the adherence of all the personnel of a healthcare facility on
the existing laws, guidelines and policies regarding health care
wastes.
References
Mahon, Connie et al., An Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science.
W.B. Saunders Co., 1998

Avelino, Maria D., Worktext In Science, Technology and Society. 2003

Rabor, Rodolfo R., Medical Technology Laws and Ethics. UST Printing
Press, 2005

Fallorin, Conrado, Medical Technology Profession

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