Effective medical waste management: it can be done.

BACKGROUND It was noticed that a large volume of medical waste was being generated for incineration at our hospital. The 2 incinerators at our facility were unable to effectively deal with the load of waste and, therefore, were operating for extended periods of time. This caused a significant amount of soot and other emissions to be produced as pollutants into the surrounding environment, which is considered to be a real health hazard. METHODS A waste-management plan was introduced that included education, mandatory inservice training, auditing of the type and volume of waste generated by each department, and introduction of a written policy on waste management. RESULTS Within a few months of implementation of the waste-management plan, the amount of medical waste was reduced by more than 58%, from 609 skips/mo (2000 kg/day) in the year 1999, to 256 skips/mo (850 kg/day) in the year 2000; skips are steel containers filled with infectious waste. This reduction was maintained throughout the year 2001 and lead to a 50% reduction in total financial costs (17,936 US dollars) with savings in fuel of 5262 US dollars, labor-cost savings of 8990 US dollars, and maintenance and spare parts savings of 3680 US dollars. CONCLUSIONS This article discusses problems encountered in waste management in our health care facility, solutions and control measures introduced, and achievements. It also demonstrates that effective waste management can reduce health risk, save money, and protect the environment.