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Are Bio-Medical Waste Products Recyclable?

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The coronavirus pandemic has greatly contributed to the endless stream of bio-medical waste products that negatively affect human health and the environment. This has left may wondering whether these products can be recycled.  Luckily, most of these wastes can be recycled.

Why Must Bio-Medical Waste be Recycled?


According to the WHO, the process of incinerating medical waste products can generate furans and dioxin. These wastes are human carcinogenic substances and are linked to various health illnesses.
Oftentimes, waste materials are always disposed into a sanitary landfill. In the long run, this can have a negative impact on the environment.

What Wastes Can be Recycled?


According to Pfiedler, a company that offers medical education, operating theatres generate 20 to 30% of the overall total bio-medical wastes in every hospital.
Most of the items used in this unit must be sterile and single use only to prevent contamination. This includes wastes like sterile blue wrap, IV bags, and other items.
In a milestone discovery, the company also found out that almost twenty-three percent of surgical waste products can be recycled.

How Are These Wastes Recycled?


Michigan-based non-profit hospital, Spectrum Health, discovered that the sterilized blue wrap can be recycled by removing the lead content.
Afterwards, it is melted before it is reused to manufacture different kinds of plastic items and soda bottles. With this, nineteen percent of their bio-medical waste generated was recycled.

Conclusion

For a healthy, safe and sustainable environment, a lot must be done to increase the recycling of medical wastes. According to EPA, a private research company, hospitals should train their employees on efficient ways to dispose and recycle medica wastes. One such measure is by disposing plastic and non-plastic medical waste in distinct containers.