Emerging Technologies in Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal

The present study has been conducted at the district health care facility of a town in India to understand the characteristics of biomedical waste, category wise generation rate, segregation, labelling, handling, treatment and disposal methods for residue. The main focus has been on the development of an integrated low heat treatment system utilizing various available technologies like autoclaving, microwaving, and solar systems to economize the transportation cost to the zonal treatment facility. An attempt has also been made to minimizing the risk of infection and lowering the stress of the treatment on less green techniques like incineration. Owing to the recent developments the clinics, hospitals, medical colleges, nursing homes, medical laboratories and research centres have sprung not only in metros but even in small towns and villages. Since it is not feasible to build treatment facility in every hospital, biomedical wastes need to be transported to zonal treatment facility, which may be located far away from the health care facilities. Biomedical waste, however, can be rendered safe and unobjectionable, aesthetically and environmentally, if health care facility managers implement the requirements and recommendations of several codes of practice and technical advice, which are simple and inexpensive.