UNEP Healthcare Waste: Basic Data and generation rates Surya Prakash CHANDAK Senior Programme Officer United Nations Environment Programme Division of.

UNEP

Healthcare Waste: Basic Data and generation rates

Surya Prakash CHANDAKSenior Programme Officer

United Nations Environment Programme

Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

International Environmental Technology Centre

(UNEP DTIE IETC)

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Structure of Presentation

Sources of healthcare waste

Material constituents of healthcare waste

Characterization of healthcare waste

Classification of healthcare waste

Generation rates of healthcare waste

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Sources of healthcare waste Hospitals, medical centers, and polyclinics Clinics, diagnostic facilities, dialysis centers and other specialized outpatient treatment facilities Primary health centers, rural health stations, basic health units, or health posts Maternity centers or birthing facilities Physicians’ offices Dental clinics and offices Medical laboratories, biomedical laboratories and research centers, biotechnology laboratories,

nuclear medicine laboratories Blood banks, blood collection centers, and blood transfusion centers Nursing homes for the elderly, long-term residential care facilities for the chronically ill, and hospices

for the terminally ill Pharmacies and dispensaries, drug stores, pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities Alternative medicine treatment facilities (e.g., acupuncture centers) Veterinary hospitals, veterinarians’ clinics, and veterinary offices Animal research and testing centers, and animal quarantine stations Home health care settings Health facilities, infirmaries, clinics, or health stations in colleges and universities, children’s schools

and summer camps, military establishments, police stations, prisons, and commercial or industrial establishments

Emergency service facilities (ambulance stations, paramedic units, rescue operations) Coroners’ or medical examiners’ facilities, forensic pathology or autopsy laboratories, and crime

laboratories Drug addiction rehabilitation centers Funeral homes and mortuaries Tattoo and cosmetic ear piercing establishments

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Sources of healthcare waste contd.

The bulk of healthcare waste is generally produced by hospitals. Health-related facilities in the United States can be categorized according to 15 types of sources. Hospitals, which comprise only 1% of all health-related facilities, account for 71% of the total healthcare waste generated annually. Doctors’ offices, nursing homes, clinics, and medical labs—which together make up 36% of the total facilities—contribute 22% of the healthcare waste

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Sources of healthcare waste contd.

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Material Constituents of healthcare waste

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Average Material Constituents of Healthcare Waste

Jordan Peru Turkey Taiwan Kuwait ItalyConstituent % Constituent % Constituent % Constituent % Constituent % Constituent %

Paper 38 Mixed Papercardboard

225

Paper carton

165

Paper 34 Paper cardboard

248

Paper 34

Plastic 27 Plastic 12 Plastic 41 Plastic 26 Plastic 18 Plastic 46

Glass 10 Glass 8 Glass 7 Glass 7 Glass 10 Glass 8

Metals 5 Metals 2 Metals 4 Metals 9 Metals 0.4

Food 17 Food 15 Food 12

Textiles 11 Cotton/gauze 18 Textiles 10 Textiles 9 Textiles 11

Placenta 8 Anatomical 0.1

Garbage 9 Others 35 Other 3 Other 3 Other 8 Liquids 12

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Average Material Constituents of healthcare waste

Average material constituents of healthcare waste, excluding food waste is given below:

Material Constituents Composition Range (weight %)

Paper/carton 15-40

Plastics 10-60

Glass 5-10

Metal 1-10

Cloth/cotton/gauze 10-25

Other 5-25

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Characterization of healthcare waste

Important parameters for characterization of healthcare waste:

• Moisture Content – varies widely 15-50%

• Incombustibles – 8-20%

• Heating Value – 14.8 MJ/KG- 16.5 MJ/KG

• Chemical Composition – importance of chlorine

• Bulk Density – 100-200 KG/m3

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Classification of healthcare waste

Major Classification of healthcare waste: Sharps Infectious Pathological Pharmaceutical Chemical Radioactive Non-risk general

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Healthcare waste generation rates

Factors affecting the rate of waste generation in healthcare facilities Level of activity (often measured in terms of the number of occupied beds plus number of outpatients per day, total number of patients per day, and/or number of staff Type of department (e.g. General ward, surgical theatre, office,)Type or level of facility (e.g. clinic, provincial hospital etc.)Location (rural or urban)Regulations or policies on waste classificationSegregation practicesTemporal variations (week day vs. weekend, seasonal)Level of development of country

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Healthcare waste generation rates contd.

Total and infectious healthcare waste generation by type of facility– Low income countries– Middle income countries– High income countries

Total and infectious healthcare waste generation by number of hospital beds– Low income countries– Middle income countries– High income countries

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Healthcare waste generation rates contd.

Average waste generation by type of facility

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Facility Total healthcare waste generation rate

Infectious healthcare waste generation rate

Hospital 2 kg/bed-day 0.5 kg/bed-day

Clinic 0.02 kg/patient-day

0.007 kg/patient-day

Maternity Centre 5 kg/patient-day 3 kg/patient-day

Clinical Laboratory

0.06 kg/test-day 0.02 kg/test-day

Basic Health Unit 0.04 kg/patient-day

0.01 kg/patient-day

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THANK YOU

For further information:http://www.unep.org/ietc/