An overview on medical waste management

Medical waste management is examined in this article, covering typical sources, regulating laws, and treatment and disposal techniques. Medical waste law exists in many industrialized countries, however there is limited guidance on whether items may be classified as contagious. Because of the lack of clarity, sorting medical waste has become inefficient, resulting in an increase in the amount of trash treated for pathogens, which is often done by burning. This study shows that incorrectly classifying trash as infectious leads in greater disposal costs and more negative environmental consequences. The study indicates that improved healthcare worker education and standardized medical waste stream sorting are important routes for effective waste management in healthcare institutions, and that further research is needed given the tendency of growing medical waste generation with rising world GDP.