How Do Hospitals Dispose of Bio-hazardous Waste?
Unsurprisingly, medical facilities and health centers generate millions of tons of medical waste every year in Michigan. This medical waste, unlike household waste or any other waste type, needs to be handled with care as it can pose danger to healthcare workers, cleaning professionals as well as common public. Therefore, proper medical waste disposal in Michiganis of paramount importance.
So, how do hospitals undertake biomedical waste disposal? Before you get the answer, it is important to know what bio-hazardous waste is. In simple terms, bio-hazardous waste can be defined as infectious waste that potentially consists of human blood, body fluids, pathological tissue, medical waste used by infected patients. To be more specific, bio-hazardous waste can include:
- Bodily fluids like saliva, pleural fluid, amniotic fluid, etc
- Blood containing things such as plasma, body fluids, tissues, etc
- Microbiological waste like culture dishes, specimen cultures, blood containing infectious pathogens
- Pathological waste which includes organs, body parts, and tissues
- Chemical waste from laboratories
- Pharmaceutical waste includes expired medicines and vaccines
- Sharps waste like needles, scalpels, syringes
Bio-hazardous waste is a dangerous material that has the potential to threaten life. Thus, proper bio-hazardous waste disposal is a must to prevent non-compliance and resulting in strict penalties.
Also Read: Why It Is Important To Dispose Of Sharps Correctly
How do hospitals dispose of bio-hazardous waste?
First of all, hospitals must follow the rules laid down by authorities in Michigan and must dispose of bio-hazardous waste. As per the Hazard Awareness and Management Manual (HAMM) of Environment Health & Safety (EHS), bio-hazardous waste consists of many stages such as generation, accumulation, handling, storage, treatment, transport, and finally disposal. Therefore, you must partner with professional bio-hazardous waste disposal service providers who are licensed to manage medical waste. There are two biomedical waste disposal methods most commonly followed:
Incineration – Incineration is a method where waste is burned in a controlled environment. It effectively neutralizes infectious agents, reduces waste volume, and can be disposed of in sanitary landfills.
Autoclaves –A closed chamber where heat, steam, and pressure destroy microbes on medical waste. It can be disposed of in landfills safely.
Medical Waste Recovery (MWR) is one of the leading medical waste disposal service providers in Michigan. We help hospitals, veterinary clinics, tattoo parlors, police stations, COVID testing facilities, schools, and other sites, to safely dispose of all types of medical waste at affordable rates. We also offer sharps disposal in Michigan! Contact us today for a free quote!
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