Medical Waste Facts

• 5,9 Ton/year
• 85% is non-Hazardous
• 16 billion injections/years
• 2 million needles/day
• 800.000 needle sticks/years
Definition of Medical Waste

Medical waste is any kind of waste that contains infectious

material (or material that’s potentially infectious). This
definition includes waste generated by healthcare facilities like
physician’s offices, hospitals, dental practices, laboratories,
medical research facilities, and veterinary clinics.
Name For Medical Waste
• Medical Waste
• Biomedical Waste
• Clinical Waste
• Biohazardous Waste
• Regulated Medical Waste
• Infections Medical Waste
• Healthcare Waste
Medical Waste Types
The list below displays the most common waste
categories as identified by the WHO.

• Sharps. This kind of waste

includes anything that can
pierce the skin.

• Infectious Waste. Anything

infectious or potentially
infectious goes in this
category.
• Radioactive. This kind of waste
generally means unused
radiotherapy liquid or lab
research liquid.
• Pathological. Human fluids,
tissue, blood, body parts, bodily
fluids, and contaminated animal
carcasses come under this waste
category.
• Chemical. These are
disinfectants, solvents used
for laboratory purposes,
batteries, and heavy metals
from medical equipment such
as mercury from broken
thermometers.
• Genotoxic Waste. This is a
highly hazardous form of
medical waste that’s either
carcinogenic, teratogenic, or
mutagenic. It can include
cytotoxic drugs intended for
use in cancer treatment.
• General Non-Regulated Medical
Waste. Also called non-
hazardous waste, this type
doesn’t pose any particular
chemical, biological, physical, or
radioactive danger.
• Pharmaceuticals. This grouping
includes all unused, expired,
and/or contaminated vaccines
and drugs.
Medical Waste Treatment Methods

Microwaving Autoclaving Inceneration

Chemical Biological
Conclusion

Medical waste is classified as any

possibly contaminated
byproduct of medical research,
treatment, or other healthcare
activity. It can come from
physician’s offices, dentists,
veterinary clinics, research
laboratories, or funeral homes.