This document discusses hospital waste management. It defines biomedical waste and categories of waste generated in hospitals. It discusses the current situation of biomedical waste management in India. It outlines universal precautions for handling biomedical waste and describes various treatment and disposal methods like incineration, autoclaving, chemical disinfection, and landfilling. It also discusses the Biomedical Waste Management Rules in India and the importance of implementing proper waste management programs.

1. Hospital waste
management
By,
Bajarangi lal Chaudhary
Ph.D. Scholar

2. Contents
• Introduction
• Universal precautions
• Definition
• Categories
• Waste segregation
• Treatment and disposal
• Biomedical waste management in India
• Biomedical waste management program

3. Introduction
• Adequate management and disposal of waste
is essential. Inadequate and inappropriate
handling of health care waste may have serious
public health consequences and a significant
impact on the environment.

4. Waste generated in Hospital
The quantity of solid waste generated in
hospitals varies from 1/2 to 2 kg/bed in
Government hospitals, private hospitals and
nursing homes.
a) General waste (80%):
b) Pathological and infectious waste (15%):
c) Chemical and pharmaceutical waste (3%):
d) Sharp waste ( 1%):

5. Situation In India
• According to the Ministry of Environment and
Forests about 4,05,702 kg/ day, of which only
2,91,983 kg/day is properly disposed, which means
that almost 28% of the wastes is left untreated and not
disposed, finding its way in dumps or water bodies
and re-enters our system.
• Karnataka tops the chart among all the states in
generation of biomedical waste.

6. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
1. Assume that all specimens/patients are
potentially infectious.
2. All specimens should be placed in a leak-proof
impervious bags for transportation to the
laboratory.
3. Use gloves while handling blood and body
fluid specimen.
4. Wear laboratory coats or gowns while working
in the laboratory.

7. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS
5. Never pipette by mouth.
6. Decontaminate
7. Limit use of needles and syringes
8. Biological safety hoods should be used for laboratory
work.
9. All the potentially contaminated materials of the
laboratory should be decontaminated before disposal.
10. Always wash hands after completing laboratory work
and remove all protective clothings before leaving the
laboratory.

8. DEFINITION OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE (BMW)
• “Biomedical waste” means any waste, which is
generated during the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals or
in research activities pertaining thereto or in
the production or testing of biologicals.

11. Properties BMW Rule 1998 BMW Rule 2016
No of categories Ten Four
Overlapping of categories Yes No
Maximum limit for the
release of furans
Not specified Specified
Incinerator May have only one
chamber
Upgraded to have
secondary chamber
Chlorinated bags Were used To be phased by out by
non chlorinated bags in
two years.
D/W Biomedical Waste Rule 1998 and 2016

12. Properties BMW Rule 1998 BMW Rule 2016
Cytotoxic drugs Black color back Yellow color bag
Use of bar code Not there To be introduced within
two years
Methods of disposable
recommended
Incineration, shredding,
autoclave, microwaving,
sharp pits etc.
Newer methods are
introduced such as plasma
pyrolysis, inrtization and
encapsulation.
Disposable facility Occupier must have
disposable facility
No , if outsourcing facility
is available within 75km
Incineration ash Allowed Not allowed
Majority of idea Discarding biomedical
waste
Recycling of biomedical
waste
D/W Biomedical Waste Rule 1998 and 2016

13. TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL METHODS
1. Incineration
2. Autoclaving
3. Chemical disinfection
4. Wet and dry thermal treatment
5. Microwave irradiation
6. Inertization

14. Incineration
 lncineration is a high temperature dry oxidation process
that reduces organic and combustible waste into
nonorganic incombustible matter, resulting in a very
significant reduction of waste volume and weight.
 Incineration should not be done for:
a) Pressurized gas containers
b) Reactive chemical waste
c) Halogenated plastics such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
d) Waste with heavy metals such as mercury, silver
e) salts, radiographic waste, broken thermometers

17. Autoclave

18. Chemical disinfection
• Chemicals are added to waste to kill or
inactivate the pathogens within it results in
disinfection rather than sterilization.
• It is more suitable for liquid waste such as
blood, urine, stool and hospital sewage.
• However, solid waste, such as microbiological
cultures and sharps, etc may be disinfected
chemically with certain limitations.

19. Wet and dry thermal treatment
• Wet thermal treatment or steam disinfection is
based on exposure of shredded infectious waste to
high temperature, high pressure steam, and is
similar to the autoclave sterilization process.
• It is inappropriate for anatomical waste and animal
carcasses.

22. DISPOSAL
• Landfilling, deep burial and sewage are used
for disposal.
• Infectious waste after treatment can be
disposed of by landfilling or deep burial.
• Liquid waste can be disposed in sewage
drains. Besides treatment, incineration is also a
method of disposal.

24. BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN
INDIA
• It establishes legal control, and permits the
national agency responsible for the disposal of
health care waste, usually the Ministry of
Health, to apply pressure for their
implementation.
• The Ministry of Environment may also be
involved.

25. WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
• The policies and procedures should be
incorporated in the laboratory’s operating
manuals.
• Emphasis should be on waste minimization (by
reducing waste, reuse and recycling), proper
segregation, and health and safety of the workers.
• All personnel generating, collecting, transporting
and storing infectious waste must be trained under
the program.