Green Technologies for Handling and Management of Biomedical Waste

Biomedical waste management is of great significance because biomedical waste can adversely affect health, causing serious implications for people who come into contact with it. Segregation, storage, and safe disposal of biomedical waste is the key to effective management of it in a workplace. The health of a community or a society is estimated according to the health status of each individual residing in it. Various factors affect community health. One of the major factors associated with it is waste generated by health care institutions. Waste generated by health care activities includes a broad range of materials, from used needles and syringes to soiled dressings, body parts, diagnostic samples, blood, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and radioactive materials. The biomedical waste that is generated may carry risks of various infections and diseases (typhoid, cholera, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis, etc.) in the long run. Therefore, use of proper storage, disposal, and treatment techniques are needed in order to minimize waste generation by hospitals. Effective management procedures should be employed for proper prevention and control of these types of waste. Various methods are used for treatment of biomedical waste, such as chemical methods, mechanical processes, biological processes, and irradiation processes. Green technologies—such as water treatment, solid waste treatment, and air purification—also play major roles in management of biomedical waste. Governments need to make arrangements for dedicated trash bins to be provided for disposal of hazardous waste. Appropriate management strategies are crucial for preservation of an equilibrium between the environment and mankind.