Ways to Classify Medical Waste
3/7/2023
Medical waste is waste generated from healthcare facilities and medical centers that can be potentially harmful and infectious if not disposed of properly. It is classified to ensure that it’s discarded well due to the risks associated with it.
That said, here’s how you can classify medical waste:
Hazardous waste includes sharp objects such as syringes and needs that are used in various medical procedures. To prevent infection and injury, they are collected in puncture-resistant containers.
This is the type of waste that is contaminated with infectious agents, blood from patients, and bodily fluids. Infectious waste has the potential of transmitting disease because of its highly infectious nature.
As such, it must be handled with extra care to avoid the spread of disease.
This is the non-infectious waste generated from hospitals which include plastics, food waste, and paper waste. The primary purpose of classifying this waste is to ensure that it won’t add up to pollution in the environment.
This is a type of waste that has radioactive elements and includes medical isotopes that are used in therapy treatment. It must be handled with great care to avoid exposing workers to radiation.
Different wastes are disposed of in various ways. Therefore, classifying medical waste helps make the process easier and also enables disposal service providers to take caution depending on the type of waste they intend to discard.
Professional medical waste removal companies make all this work stress-free for any organization.