Importance & Advantages of Proper Medical Waste Disposal

Medical waste, also known as clinical waste, refers to biological products, which are essentially useless. Medical Waste Disposal is an environmental concern, as many medical wastes are classified as infectious or bio-hazardous and can spread infectious disease. Medical Waste Disposal is the most fundamental and crucial step towards infection prevention in healthcare facilities. It is also the most neglected aspect of infection prevention. 

The Advantages of Proper Medical Waste Disposal are:

•    Minimizes the spread of infections and reduces the risk of accidental injury to staff, clients, visitors, and the local community
•    Helps provide an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere
•    Reduces odors and other unpleasant sights.
•    Attracts fewer insects and does not attract animals
•    Reduces the likelihood of contamination of the soil or ground water with chemicals or microorganisms.

Appropriate Medical Waste Disposal is Necessary:

The facilities like hospitals and nursing homes produce harmful waste that poses serious risk to the health of the general public and to the environment. These wastes should therefore be treated in the proper manner described by the law to neutralize the aforementioned threats. Depending on the state where the medicinal facility is operating, they have to segregate hazardous wastes into different categories. The medical facilities generating medical waste should follow the segregation regulations as well as other rules in place or they could be stripped of their license to operate.

Legally Viable Waste Disposal Companies Needed:

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has laid down clear rules regarding medical waste management. They have outlined specific guidelines and regulations with respect to limits and ways to prevent pollution, as well as recommendations for how to handle waste. Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal management companies that are state-licensed adhere to these rules. After hiring a professional company you won't have to worry about legal issues because they provide services in accordance with the outlined rules and regulations.

Things to Consider While Selecting a Waste Disposal Company

Every day, hospitals and similar establishments produce med wastes which could be harmful to the environment and the health of the public. It is the duty of these establishments to make sure that the Medication Disposal are properly treated and disposed or not. Large hospitals may have the facility to treat these medical wastes but smaller doctor's clinics may not have the same luxury. For the smaller players in the healthcare industry, working with a good bio hazard waste removal company would be a good option. 

Considering Things before Choosing a Waste Disposal Company:
Compliance:

The med waste removal service provider should be accredited by state and federal agencies overlooking medical waste disposal. The company should comply with all the rules and regulations set forth by these state and federal agencies.

Price:

The most common reason why doctors work with med waste disposal company is to reduce costs by having their own system of waste disposal. Most bio hazard waste disposal companies though usually offer customizable plans for small clinics.

Reliability:

They would be in charge of transporting, treating, and disposing of hazardous medical wastes. It is therefore necessary that they have enough experience on the said matter.

Sharp Containers are Necessary:

In many healthcare facilities sharps bins can be placed next to the healthcare worker so they can drop the used sharp straight into it. For example, in wards this can be achieved by placing the Sharps Container on the dispensing trolley. Or, in a GPs surgery, it's necessary to have one in each consultation room. Sharps disposal bins are bright yellow to make them easily identifiable and often have color-coded lids to distinguish between their exact uses. Yellow top sharps containers are for medically contaminated sharps for incineration only. They are recommended for the segregation, collection and disposal of partially discharged sharps contaminated with medicines other than cytotoxic or cytostatic medicines.

Basic Description on Biohazard Waste Disposal & Analyzing Stericyle Competitor:

Waste is the one thing the world will always have. As human beings, we collectively produce tons of waste every single day. Biohazard Waste Disposal is produced by large industries; medical waste, infectious waste, retail waste, electronic waste, and the list are endless. We don't normally think about it, but every single piece of waste is produced should be disposed of in the right way. Biohazard waste is any biological residue that is potentially dangerous for human or animal health. Even though most of them generated at home are not of serious concern, we need to be bothered about household waste that is infectious or biohazard in nature. Such ones are capable of causing disease to house inmates, if a person comes into contact with the biohazard one. Biohazard waste shall be placed in biohazard bags which should be tied to prevent leakage or expulsion of contents during all future storage and handling. It is important for healthcare facilities to take caution while handling biohazard material.

Analyzing Stericyle Competitor:

Stericyle Competitor provides related education and training services, and patient communication services. Stericyle Competitor services healthcare facilities such as hospitals, blood banks, manufacturers. It brings myriad small businesses, which include outpatient clinics, medical and dental offices, and abortion clinics, veterinary and animal hospitals. Stericyle provides pharmaceutical waste programs disposal that are unused or expired wastes in hospitals, healthcare practices, and pharmacies. To help hospitals manage their waste streams and drive recycling efforts, it began to offer Stericyle Integrated Waste Stream Solutions. The company offers their customers a broad range of services. The company believes that they will continue to have opportunities to expand their business by increasing the range of products and services offer for existing customers.  Stericyle clientele consists of over 375,000 health care facilities, including hospitals, blood banks, and clinics.

Explanation about Healthcare Waste & Its Classification

What is Healthcare Waste? 

Whether you run a hospital, a general practitioner surgery, a pharmacy or a laboratory, you have to deal with healthcare waste. This includes expired pharmaceuticals, bags and vials containing traces of toxic drugs, spilled liquids and contaminated body tissues or fluids. In addition, healthcare waste can include the waste produced in the course of healthcare procedures undertaken by patients at home (dialysis, insulin injections, etc.). About 10-25% of healthcare waste is regarded as hazardous and may create a variety of health risks. Disposing of pharmaceutical and other chemical waste such as lab waste can be highly problematic. Choose a safe and environmentally compatible treatment or management of Biohazardous Waste Disposal. 

Healthcare Waste Classification:

•    Infectious Waste: Any waste that is suspected to contain pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi) in sufficient concentration or quantity to cause disease, such as cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratory work, waste from surgery and autopsies on patients with infectious diseases, waste from infected patients in isolation wards and infected animals from laboratories.

•    Sharps: These are items that could cause cuts or puncture wounds, including needles, hypodermic needles, scalpel and other blades, knives, infusion sets, saws, broken glass, and nails. Whether or not they are infected, such items are usually considered as highly hazardous waste. 

•    Pharmaceutical Waste: This includes expired, unused, spilt, and/or contaminated medicines, drugs and vaccines that are no longer required and Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal should be done perfectly. The category also includes discarded items used in the handling of pharmaceuticals, such as bottles or boxes with residues, gloves, masks, connecting tubing, and drug vials. 

•    Genotoxic Waste: This type of waste is highly hazardous and may have mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. It raises serious safety problems, both inside hospitals or practices and also after disposal.