A Peek into How Landfills Segregate Medical Waste
8/11/2022
Landfills are the final disposal site for many kinds of solid waste. These specialized facilities place solid waste as ground fillers, hence the term.
Engineered landfills, called sanitary landfills, are designed to minimize environmental damage and adverse human health effects. Ideally, medical waste should be collected, treated, and disposed of separately from solid waste.
How Medical Waste are Categorized
Medical wastes are commonly further segregated into the following categories:
• Infectious waste
Hazardous medical waste that could infect other organisms. These include blood and other fluids or materials used in infected patients (e.g., swabs, bandages, and other medical paraphernalia);
• Pathological waste
Body tissues, organs, parts, and carcasses of animals
• Chemical waste
Chemicals used in medical devices, including broken medical devices such as mercury thermometers
• Pharmaceutical waste
Drugs and vaccines
• Radioactive waste
Medical devices that use radioactive materials like radionuclides
Specialized companies and facilities manage these medical wastes from the source. Noninfectious medical waste could be directly disposed of in the landfill but is illegal in many areas.
Conclusion
In the landfill, recognizable medical wastes are isolated and checked if they are potentially infectious. In March 2000, it was reported that only seventeen states in the US allow the disposal of medical wastes directly into landfills. Hence, medical wastes are incinerated in many cases before the remains are disposed of in the landfill.
Engineered landfills, called sanitary landfills, are designed to minimize environmental damage and adverse human health effects. Ideally, medical waste should be collected, treated, and disposed of separately from solid waste.
How Medical Waste are Categorized
Medical wastes are commonly further segregated into the following categories:
• Infectious waste
Hazardous medical waste that could infect other organisms. These include blood and other fluids or materials used in infected patients (e.g., swabs, bandages, and other medical paraphernalia);
• Pathological waste
Body tissues, organs, parts, and carcasses of animals
• Chemical waste
Chemicals used in medical devices, including broken medical devices such as mercury thermometers
• Pharmaceutical waste
Drugs and vaccines
• Radioactive waste
Medical devices that use radioactive materials like radionuclides
Specialized companies and facilities manage these medical wastes from the source. Noninfectious medical waste could be directly disposed of in the landfill but is illegal in many areas.
Conclusion
In the landfill, recognizable medical wastes are isolated and checked if they are potentially infectious. In March 2000, it was reported that only seventeen states in the US allow the disposal of medical wastes directly into landfills. Hence, medical wastes are incinerated in many cases before the remains are disposed of in the landfill.