Biomedical Waste Management

 Biomedical Waste Management 

The waste generated in various hospitals and nursing homes, healthcare facilities can be grouped under biomedical Waste. This type of waste includes various infections and hazardous materials. Biomedical Waste is then identified, segregated, and treated scientifically. Biomedical Waste generated can either be solid or liquid waste comprising infectious or potentially infectious material, such as medical research and laboratory waste. Biomedical Waste can also be classified into general pathological, radioactive, chemical, infectious, sharps, and pharmaceutical waste. 

Biomedical Waste Management rule 2016 specifies that every healthcare facility shall take all necessary steps to ensure that biomedical Waste is handled without adverse effects on human and the environment. 

Bio-medical waste means any waste which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or from research activities

pertaining there to or in production or testing or biological (preparations from organisms or microorganisms or products of metabolism and biochemical reaction intended for use in diagnosis, immunization, or treatment.

Classification of the waste generated:

Hospital Waste: All waste coming out of the Hospital consists of the following:

1. 80% is non-hazardous waste.

2. 15% is infectious waste.

3. 5% is non-infectious but hazardous waste.

Biomedical Identifying waste: Classified into two categories

• Infectious

• Non-infectious

Infectious waste

Pathological waste includes tissues, organs, blood, and body fluids. Syringes, IV tubing,

blood bags and other items contaminated with blood and body fluids like plaster, casts,

Human anatomical and surgical waste, body excretion needles, IV cannulas, cotton, swabs,

bandages, mops, etc

Non-infectious waste

Kitchen waste: - Food, peels, teacups, foil, plastic, fruit, vegetable leftovers

General office waste: Wrapping paper, office papers, cartons, packing materials, plastic sheets, and newspapers

Segregation of Hospital Waste

Segregation of waste is the most important prerequisite in the process of waste management. Segregation of waste allows special attention to be given to the different categories of waste, thereby reducing the health risks as well as the cost of handling and disposal. While separating waste, it is especially important to separate infectious waste from non-infectious waste. If mixed; non-infectious also becomes infectious.

Colour Container Category

Blue- Broken Glasses, glass ampules, etc.

Red- Plastic Gloves, Catheters, Cannulas, and other plastic Waste used in the hospital

Yellow- (Organ and tissue waste) Human tissues, organs, body parts, placenta, pathological and surgical waste, microbiology, and biotechnology waste

Black- (General Waste) Black bag in plastic bin General paper waste, and, kitchen waste

waste, that is disposed of separately.

Segregation should happen at the source with proper containment, by using a different color

coded bins for different categories of waste.

Biomedical Waste Management Colour Coding Bin

Yellow Colour Bin-

• Human anatomical waste
• Animal anatomical waste
• Solid waste
• Dressings
• Plaster caste
• Cotton swabs
• Discarded line
• Mattresses
• Beddings
• Blood bags
• Discarded and expired medicine
• Cytotoxic drugs
• Chemical waste
• Lab waste
• Chemical Liquid waste

 

Red Colour Bin-

• Gloves
• Urine Bags
•  Catheters
•  Waste generated from tubing
• Plastic I/V bottle
• Normal Saline, DNS, RL
• Drains
• Syringes without needle
• Intravenous tube

Blue Colour Bin

• Glassware
• Contaminated glass
• Medicine vials
• Ampoules
• Cytotoxic waste

Black Colour Bin

•   Noninfected materials
•   Food waste
•   Mineral waste bottles
•   Paper waste

White Colour

•     Needles
• ·   Syringes with fixed needle
• ·   Scalpels
• ·   Blades
• ·   Metal sharps

Storage of Waste - Blue, Red Yellow, and Black waste will be held in the bins kept permanently in a waste holding room. Sufficient no. of bins will be kept to store waste for 48 hours. The kitchen waste will be placed in designated bins and will be stored for a maximum of 48 hours. All plastic bags are to be tied securely and the lid of the bin is to be firmly shut.

Safe Disposal of Waste - All waste held in the storage bins will be wheeled up to the garbage truck itself. This will be done by the hospital's housekeeping staff. Waste plastic bags, whether Red, Blue, Yellow, or Black, will not be opened in the collecting truck, but will be stored and transported out of the hospital premises directly. The contractors’ garbage handlers will wear heavy-duty gloves, masks, and rubber boots while transferring waste from the hospital's bins to the truck. Transfer of waste to the truck will be overseen by security. Security staff will maintain a log book which will document the date and weight of the waste collected by the contractor.

Note: Waste will be disposed of every 48 hours.

Generation to Disposal Process

Step 1: Biomedical waste management is collected from various sites in an appropriate location

Step 2: Biomedical waste is collected from colour-coded bins, and the bags are loaded onto trolleys.

Step 3- The trolleys from all over the hospital transport the waste and are stored in the temporary storage facility for less than 48 hours.

Biomedical Storage guideline

BMW will not be mixed with other non-infectious waste. If by mistake this has occurred this non-infectious waste will then be treated as biomedical waste. Biomedical waste shall be segregated into bags at the points of generation. The contained will be labelled with the biohazard symbol.

All plastic bags shall be as per BIS standards as and when public till then the prevailing plastic waste management rule applies. The chemical treatment uses at least 10% sodium hypochlorite.

The non-chlorinated plastic bags within 2 years from the date of publication of Bio-Medical Waste Management Rule 2016 (Latest by 27/03/2018). The Chlorinated plastic bags shall be not used for storing and transporting the biomedical waste and bags used for storage and transporting biomedical waste.