Healthcare waste includes all waste generated by healthcare establishments, research facilities, and laboratories . In addition, it includes the waste originating from “minor” or “scattered” sources such as that produced in homes (dialysis, insulin injections, etc). Between 75 to 90 percent of the waste produced by healthcare providers is non-risk or “general” waste, comparable to domestic waste. It comes mostly from the administrative and housekeeping functions of healthcare establishments and may include waste generated during the maintenance of these premises.
The remaining 10-25 percent of healthcare waste is regarded as hazardous and may create a variety of health risks. Hazardous healthcare waste (also known as healthcare risk waste) needs special regulation, but general wastes can be dealt with by municipal waste disposal mechanisms. There are different categories of healthcare…
