9 Ways to Reduce Medical Waste

Perfect waste management can help to cut down on medical waste, which can be hazard to people and the environment. Employees need to be trained on proper waste disposal to reduce the medical waste management cost significantly.

Below are the nine researched methods of reducing medical waste;

1.      Use Reusable Products to Replace Single-Use Products

Ensure you have assessed whether some of the wastes, such as medical containers and devices, are disinfected and reused. Recheck on the reusable products before purchasing as you review the state laws on product recycling.

2.      Understand Your State Laws and Policies

Take time to read and know your state rules concerning medical waste and the so-called ‘regulated medical waste.’ Here, you get to learn how regulated waste and other wastes are managed.

3.      Create an Official Waste Management Plan

This is a plan that shows how regulated medical waste is managed versus other types of waste. Ensure the plan objectives are familiar to your staff and revisit them on an annual basis.

4.      Use of Color Codes Containers

This is an appropriate way of ensuring proper wastes separation.

5.      Split ‘Red Bag Waste’ Container from Waste Collection Bins

This helps reduce improper waste disposal.

6.      Label the Waste Bins

Placing signs on the waste bins helps to describe the type of waste to drop in every bin.

7.      Use Small Medical Waste Containers in Patient Wards

In most instances, large containers are turned into dust bins in the patient wards and other rooms. If possible, ensure the medical wastes are only reachable to staff.

8.      Do Regular Waste Audits

Assess if the medical waste is properly disposed of and whether the plan created is followed.

9.      Use the Incineration Method

This method is useful for disposing of pharmaceuticals and chemotherapy wastes.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways that can be used to cut down medical waste and ensure that they are properly disposed of. Whichever waste management you employ, make sure that it is easy to follow and your staff is properly trained for it.