This document discusses guidelines for managing biomedical waste according to the Biomedical Waste Management Rules of 2016. It defines biomedical waste as waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of humans or animals. The most serious risk is from contaminated sharps. It identifies various sources of biomedical waste and categorizes waste types. The rules require waste segregation, staff training, and use of personal protective equipment. Waste must be segregated into yellow, red, white, and blue containers and then collected, transported, stored, treated, and disposed of properly to minimize health and safety risks.

1. Bio-medical waste (BMW)
management (2016)
Dr. Himanshu Khatri
E-mail: himanshubkhatri@yahoo.co.in

2. Introduction
• Biomedical waste is any waste generated
during the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals, or
in research activity, or in the production or
testing of biological, or in health camps
• Most serious risk is from contaminated sharps
• Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016

3. Sources of bio-medical waste
• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Clinics and dispensaries
• Veterinary institutions and animal houses
• Pathological laboratories and blood banks
• Research laboratories
• Camps (health, blood donation, vaccination
etc.)

4. Types of bio-medical waste
• Infectious waste: dressings, swabs, laboratory cultures
• Pathological waste: Human tissues or fluids, fetuses
• Sharps: needles, scalpels, broken glass
• Pharmaceutical waste: expired medicines
• Chemical waste: laboratory reagents, disinfectants
• Wastes with high content of heavy metals: batteries,
thermometers
• Radioactive waste: used liquids after radiotherapy

5. Management of wastes not covered in the
BMW rules of 2016
• Municipal solid waste: Municipal Solid Waste
(Management and Handling) Rules, 2000
• Liquid chemicals:Manufacture, Storage and
Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989
• Lead acid batteries: Batteries (Management
and Handling) Rules, 2001
• Radio-active waste: Atomic Energy Act, 1962

6. Groups at risk for exposure to bio-
medical waste
• Doctors, nurses, auxiliary staff, and other
personnel working at the hospital
• Patients
• Visitors
• Workers in waste treatment facilities

7. Hazards from bio-medical waste
• Infectious: HIV, and Hepatitis B and C from
sharps, and bacterial infections from other
infectious waste
• Pharmaceutical effects, especially of cytotoxic
drugs
• Chemical effects like corrosion, allergy etc.
• Lead and mercury poisoning from batteries
and thermometers, respectively
• Radio-active effects

8. BMW rules, 2016:General
considerations
• Written policy for waste management
• Staff training in waste management (at
induction, and then once a year)
• Waste handling using Standard Precautions
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff
• Vaccination of staff (Hepatitis B and tetanus)

9. Steps in Biomedical Waste
Management
• Generation
• Segregation
• Collection
• Transport
• Storage
• Treatment
• Disposal

10. Why segregation?
• Biohazardous waste (15%) can contaminate non-
biohazardous waste (85%)
• Mixing of both types of waste can render entire
waste (100%) as biohazardous
• Thus, the entire waste has to undergo special
treatment of biohazardous waste
• Segregation avoids mixing, and thus reduces cost
of treatment of waste
• Moreover, different categories of biohazard waste
have different treatment methods

11. • Segregation is the responsibility of the waste
generator
• Segregation is done at the point of generation
• Posters of waste segregation near each
collection point

12. Categories of bio-medical waste
• Yellow
• Red
• White (translucent)
• Blue

13. Yellow (non-recyclable contaminated
waste)
• Type of waste:
1. Human and animal anatomical waste
2. Microbiology, biotechnology and other clinical
laboratory waste
3. Discarded or expired medicines, except those of
cytotoxic drugs. Cytotoxic drugs to be preferably sent
back to the manufacturer
4. Solid chemical waste and sludge of liquid chemical
waste
5. Soiled waste
6. Discarded linen, mattresses etc.

17. Red (recyclable contaminated waste)
• IV sets
• IV fluid bottles (NS, RL etc.)
• Urine catheters
• Urine collection bags
• Syringes (without needles)
• Gloves

25. White (translucent)
• Metal sharps
1. Needles
2. Scalpels blades
3. Blades

29. Blue
• Broken and contaminated glassware including
medicine vials (except those of cytotoxic
drugs)
• Metallic body implants

32. • Dead fetus below viability period (as per MTP
act of 1971) is considered anatomical waste.
It is to be handed over in yellow bag with MTP
certificate issued by the Obstetrician or the
Medical Superintendent
• Vials of cytotoxic drugs to be preferably sent
back to the manufacturer. As a second option,
to be sent for incineration at temperature >
1200oC

33. Type of bag or container
• Yellow: yellow coloured non-chlorinated bags
or containers
• Red: red coloured non-chlorinated bags or
containers
• White (translucent): puncture proof, lead
proof, tamper proof containers
• Blue: cardboard with blue coloured markings

36. Thank
you

37. Questions?