How To Dispose of The Medical Waste?

There is still little awareness of the correct methods of discarding medical waste. However, we must inform people about the harmful repercussions of not dealing with the medical waste from hospitals and hospices or simple residences with patients.

There are many solutions to discarding medical waste, and in this post, we will discuss those ways that are legal and safe.

What Counts as Medical Waste?

Several things count as waste, such as anatomical or pathological waste, bandages, IV drip bags, gloves, plastic containers, syringes, needles, glass bottles of injections, culture plates, sharps, blood-stained tubes, and several other potentially infectious materials like semen, vaginal secretions, etc. This accounts for at least 6 million tons of waste generated all across the U.S. Medical waste is classified into five different categories according to the threat they pose to the environment.

The Pointy Equipment

These include injections, needles, and other sharp stuff that must be disposed of immediately and separately.

Yellow Disposal Bags

These contain all the stuff related to toxic chemotherapy that can radiate harmful substances in the air.

Red Bags

The red waste bags contain biohazardous and surgical tools that are no longer used, such as bandages, gauzes, fluid bags, and tested materials from pathology labs.

Black Containers

These containers fill up with cleaning kits, and empty pill bottles, drips, and other plastic disposal are kept in them.

Blue Containers

These contain all pharmaceutical waste such as expired pills, injections, powders, etc.

The Best Way To Dispose of Medical Waste

There are not many ways to keep recycling all the waste some of it is not meant to sterilized or repurposed; here comes the only effective way to get rid of all plastic waste that fills up the land sites and is the cause of airborne toxic particles. The shredding of plastics is the only way to get this waste out of the way and into responsible hands, ensuring the proper disposal of waste.

The plastic used in pill bottles, IV bottles, tubes, and PPE kits is 100% shreddable, and many services out there are keeping in check that such plastics do not just go to landfill sites.

The problematic issue that arises due to the uncheck disposal leads to the pills or injection vials getting into the hands of drug addicts, or worse, these could be used in identity theft.

Most bottles have the name of the patients written on them; if these get into the wrong hands, there could be a lawsuit waiting for you. According to the laws of HIPAA, all shreddable medical waste must be shredded by a certified shredding company, and they should provide you with evidence of shredded material in the form of a certificate, pictures, and footage. They also dispose of all other medical waste, such as syringes, bottles of drips, and plastic surgical equipment.

Wrapping it Up

It would be best if you took actions that make you a good citizen towards reducing hazardous waste and ensuring that the environment remains safe for other generations.