Biomedical waste (BMW) generated from healthcare facilities includes infectious, sharps, pharmaceutical, chemical and radioactive waste. While 85% is general non-infectious waste, the remaining 15% poses significant health risks if not properly managed. BMW is categorized based on color-coded containers with red for infectious waste, yellow for human anatomical waste, green for general waste, and white for sharps. Improper management of BMW can spread diseases and contaminate the environment, impacting both healthcare workers and communities. Therefore, safe and effective BMW management practices are necessary to prevent health issues from the waste of medical care.

1. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
BIOMEDICAL
WASTE
MANAGEMENT

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What is BMW?
Solid, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste
that are potentially infectious or dangerous
a generated during the diagnosis, testing,
treatment, research or production of
biological products of humans or animals

4. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
HEALTH CARE WASTE CHARACTERIZATION
HEALTHCARE
WASTE
5% HAZARDOUS10% INFECTIOUS
85% NON -
INFECTIOUS

5. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
COLOUR of CONTAINER
 RED
Infectious waste generated in wards, depts
including lab, microbiology waste
YELLOW
Human anatomical waste/ Animal waste.
GREEN
General non infectious waste (Kitchen,
pantry,dining hall, paper etc)
WHITE
sharps

6. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
types of waste
General Waste
Infectious Waste
Infectious Plastics
Sharps
Chemical waste
Radioactive waste
Cytotoxic waste

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General Waste
Although there is so much hazard from
hospital waste, 80-85% of the waste
generated in a hospital is non-infectious or
general and can easily be managed, if
segregated properly at source. General
waste includes items like, paper, cardboard
boxes, plastic packaging, metal boxes etc.
Kitchen waste (left-over food, vegetable
peels, meat, fish, teabags etc) is another
kind of general waste.

8. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
Infectious Waste
Besides general waste, a hospital also generates
highly infectious and hazardous waste. This waste,
though small in quantity (10-15%), is our
primary cause of concern. Pathological waste
including body parts, animal carcasses, blood/body
fluid soaked dressings, cotton swabs, etc are highly
infectious and must be segregated. Such waste is
treated by incineration, microwaving or
hydroclaving.
Microbiological waste can be treated similarly. These
are segregated in Red / Yellow biodegradable bags.

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Infectious Plastics
Disposal items likely syringes, tubes, ventilator
tubes, gloves are segregated then shredded
and washed before disposal. Such treatment
prevents their re-use and renders them sterile
and useless. Such waste is treated entirely at
site to avoid any risk of infection and reuse.
Plastics should never be incinerated as their
incineration can emit dioxins and furans in the
air. Dioxins are highly toxic and pollute the air
and can cause cancer.

10. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
SHARPS
 Sharps are the most dangerous content of
hospital waste that can injure the health care
workers and all those coming into contact with
hospital waste.
Sharps can either be glass or metal and need to
be segregated. Needles, blades, scalpels,
broken/unbroken glass, other items that can
puncture or cut are treated as sharps. All
sharps need to be chemically disinfected or
sterilized.

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Chemical waste
A hospital may generate chemical waste like
disinfectants, insecticides, etc. Besides
these, chemically contaminated containers
are also generated. Such wastes also need to
be managed and handled with proper care.
Containers should be cleaned and
mutilated but never recycled.

12. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
Radioactive waste
 Radioactive waste is generated at the site of
diagnosis and treatment. In diagnosis, X-rays,
chemical dyes and isotopes of various elements
are
frequently used in treatment. Radioactive
waste may be in solid or liquid form. Such
waste must be stored in special lead containers
until ten times their half-life period before the
waste is transported. It is then disposed off
according to BARC regulations.

13. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
Cytotoxic waste
Cytotoxic waste results from diagnosis and
treatment of diseases like cancer. These
cytotoxic or anti-neoplastic materials are
found in very small quantities in human
excreta also. They may also be found in IV
solutions and containers from laboratories.

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15. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
NEED FOR BMW MANAGEMENT
Medical care is vital for our life and health,
but the waste generated from medical
activities represents a real problem of living
nature and human world. Improper
management of waste generated in health
care facilities causes a direct health impact
on the community, the health care workers
and on the environment

16. QUALITY CREST HEALTHCARE CONSULTANTS
Problem associated with bmw
ORGANISM DISEASES CASUED RELATED WASTE ITEM
 Viruses
HIV,Hbv,Hcv AIDS, Hepatitis Infected needles,
infection, dengue, body fluids human
fever e.t.c excreta
 Bacteria typhoid, cholera, human excreta, Infected
Salmonella wound infection, skin needles, body fluids,
typhi, vibrio and soft tissue infection surgical blades
cholerae
 Other/ human excreta, body
Multiple Malaria fluids in poorly managed
Parasite sewage system of hospital

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BMW Transport
Red, General waste
Yellow, and collected in green
White bags bags
INTERNAL EXTERNAL
BMW

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Let the waste of the “SICK” not
contaminate the lives of “THE
HEALTHY”

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By,
Mohammed Muntaz Ali
MHM, PGCMHSC(UK), CSSGB,DNHE, CCP