Waste management is simply all about the management of waste; it is all about the collection, disposal, recycling, of waste. Waste needs to be completely gotten rid of in all medical facilities for the hospital environment to be healthy, clean, and fresh. First of all, what types of wastes can be generated from a hospital.
Types of medical waste
Here are some types of medical waste that are generated in hospitals. The Daniels Health hospital waste management pays special attention to these waste types and looks for means that they could be well managed.
General medical waste
This type of waste is the biggest medical waste that is generated in medical premises and cannot be considered to be extremely dangerous. This type of waste always comes from things like papers, plastics, as well as other office wastes. This type of waste is always gotten rid of regularly and does not need any special management.
Infectious medical waste
With this type of waste, people and animals risk being infected. This involves things like blood-soaked bandages, sharp waste objects, surgical waste, and even human or body parts waste. Different states have their unique laws when it comes to this waste type including storage requirements, transportation, disposal, licensing, and processing.
Dangerous medical waste
This waste type is dangerous to humans but cannot cause them any time of infections. Sharp objects fall under this category and even the chemotherapy process. This is because it involves the use of chemicals like solvents, mercury in thermometers, and even leads to paint.
Radioactive medical waste
This refers to waste that contains radioactive materials including the radioactive therapy sessions which involve the use of thallium stress tests. Other nuclear medicine therapies can be used to treat some cancer types which is also a part of the radioactive medical waste type. Nuclear medicine makes use of radiation to offer diagnostic information concerning the operation of a person’s particular organs, or to treat them.
Getting rid of medical waste has some positive effects:
What are some of the advantages of medical waste management?
Helps in keeping the environment clean
Keeping the environment clean and fresh is like the highest benefit when it comes to medical waste management. Most waste disposal industries always ensure that the waste is properly gotten rid of and this keeps people free from polluted environments. When medical waste is well disposed of, people can be sure of a healthy and safe medical environment.
Decreases environmental pollution
Waste management, when done properly, does not only get rid of the nearby waste but is a process that helps to diminish the strength of greenhouses including gases like methane and carbon monoxide produced from the amassed wastes. The penetration of prevailing landfills and incineration will be reduced hereby limiting the dangerous things that have an impact on the environment.
Makes the environment safe
Getting rid of infectious waste from the hospital premises can expose both humans and animals to infections; this is one of the ways in which medical waste management helps in keeping the environment safe from infections.
Hospital Recycling Tips
Adding to other concerns like reducing waste, it would be nice to screen and even reduce the purchase of products that are not made from recycled materials. Daniels Health hospital waste management encourages the use of reusable items as opposed to disposables. Here are some things which hospitals need to take into consideration to reduce waste in medical facilities.
Use of air dryers and cloth diapers
In bathrooms, the use of air dryers should be encouraged in place of paper towels.
Disposable diapers should be made less use of and cloth diapers encouraged. But the sanitary regulations need to be checked first.
Reusable products in patients’ rooms
Patients’ rooms should be filled with reusable products including water pitchers, bed pants instead of disposables. More washable items like linens, bed pads, blankets, and even gowns should be used more often.
Surgery rooms
Hospitals can shift to reusable medical instruments in place of disposable. The use of washable surgical and nursing gowns and sterilization trays should be encouraged in hospitals.
Cafeteria
The hospital cafeteria is one place that generates hospital waste a lot but this can be reduced if the washable plates, cups, and other kitchen utensils are made of.
Types of waste management
Getting rid of waste is very important but with waste management, it is transformed into basic things that can be used to help mankind. Wastes through the different processes bring forward things like gas, plastics, glass, and many more.
Recycling
Recycling is all about the transformation of waste to products the collected waste can produce through industrial processing. Things like paper, glass, plastics, and even aluminum are all products of recycling. Though the processing equipment is kind of expensive but recycling waste is environmentally friendly.
Incineration
With incineration, it involves burning waste and changing them into relevant machinery with the generated heat being confined for extracting energy. The burning of these organic wastes can enable hydroponic solutions and is the perfect means of getting rid of dangerous and poisonous waste. The energy gotten from this process turns to gas which is what people use for cooking, heating, and supplying energy to turbines.
Composting
This process is all about the decomposition of organic wastes by microorganisms letting the amassed waste to stay in a colliery for long. Plant manure is commonly gotten from this process and it is a gradual process that can take up a good amount of land. Composting is an amazing method of improving soil fertility.
Landfill
A Sanitary landfill is all about discarding waste into a landfill. The bottom of the area is always protective and acts as a wall between the waste and groundwater. This helps in preventing toxic chemicals from penetrating where water is.
Landfills should be created in areas where the water level is low and far away from places that flood. But the landfill method requires physical energy for maintenance.
Disposal in the sea or ocean
Harmful wastes are sometimes thrown in inhabitant ocean areas but environmental specialists are as of now denying this method of waste management. They feel it is depriving mankind of benefiting from this natural source of water life.
