P2. MLS 037 SAS 8

Healthcare Waste

refers to all solid or liquid wastes generated by any of

the following activities:

• Diagnosis, treatment and immunization of humans;

• Research pertaining to diagnosis, treatment and

immunization of humans;

Infectious Waste

refers to all wastes suspected to contain pathogens

or toxins in sufficient concentration that may cause

disease to a susceptible host.

Pathological Waste

refers to tissue sections and body fluids or organs

derived from biopsies, autopsies or surgical

procedures sent to the laboratory for examination

Anatomical Waste

a subgroup of pathological waste

that refers to recognizable body parts usually from

amputation procedures

Sharps

- refers to waste items that can cause cuts, pricks or

puncture wounds

- considered the most dangerous healthcare waste

because of their potential to cause both injury and

infection

Chemical Waste

- refers to discarded chemicals (solid, liquid or

gaseous) generated during disinfection and

sterilization procedures

- Examples: laboratory reagents, disinfectants &

soaking solutions, etc.

Pharmaceutical Waste

- refers to expired, spilt, and contaminated

pharmaceutical products, drugs, and vaccines

including discarded items used in handling

pharmaceuticals

Radioactive Waste

- refers to wastes exposed to radionuclides including

radioactive diagnostic materials or radiotherapeutic

materials

Non Hazardous or General Waste

- refers to wastes that have not been in contact with

communicable or infectious agents, hazardous

chemicals, or radioactive substances and do not pose

a hazard

The disposal of untreated healthcare wastes in landfills

can lead to the contamination of

drinking, surface, and ground waters if those landfills are not properly constructed.

The treatment of healthcare wastes with chemical disinfectants

can result in the release of

chemical substances into the environment if those substances are not handled, stored, and

disposed in an environmentally- sound manner.

RA 4226

"Hospital Licensure Act" (1965)

R A 6969

"An Act to Control Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Wastes" (1990)

 RA 8749

"The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999"

RA 9003

"Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000"

RA 9275

"The Philippine Clean Water Act o f 204"

PD 813 (1975) and EO 927 (1983)

"Strengthening the Functions of Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA)"

PD 856

"The Code on Sanitation of the Philippines - Chapter
XVI on Sewage Colection and Excreta Disposal" (1998

PD 984

"Providing for the e Revision of RA 3931 (Polution Control
Law), and for other purposes"

PD 1586

"Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System" (1978)

EO 301

"Establishing a Green Procurement Program for All
Departments, Bureaus, Offices, and Agencies of the Executive Branch of Government" (2004)

DOH Administrative Order No. 2008-0021 dated July 30, 2008

"Gradual Phase Out of Mercury in all Philippine Health Care Facilities

DOH Administrative Order No. 2008-0023 dated July 30, 2008

“National Policy on Patient Safety”

Waste Minimization

the most important step in the proper management of health care waste is

Resource Development

the second priority

maximize options for REUSING, RECYCLING & RECOVERING WASTES

Reusing

Refers to either finding a new application for a used material or using the same product for the same application
repeatedly
-Example: Laboratory glassware like glass culture tubes can be used repeatedly after decontamination

Recycling

Refers to the processing of used materials into new products
-Example: Computer printouts from the hospital can be sold and recycled into new paper products.

Energy Recovery

waste is converted to fuel for generating electricity or for direct heating of premises
as a term used to encompass three subsets

End of Pipe

• It is implemented for w a s t e s that can't be
safely reused, recycled or recovered

WASTE TREATMENT

• process of changing the biological and chemical
characteristics of waste to minimize its potential to
cause harm

WASTE DISPOSAL

• refers to discharging, depositing, placing or releasing
any health care waste into air-land or water

Reduction at Source

-involves measures that either completely eliminate use of a material or generate less
waste.
- Examples:
1. eliminate use of chemical air fresheners
2. replacing mercury thermometers with digital electronic thermometers
3. working with suppliers to reduce packing of products
4. substituting hazardous chemical cleaners to non-toxic biodegradable cleaner

Reuse

•entails the selection of reusable rather than disposable products
whenever possible
- reuse also entail setting reliable standards for disinfection and
sterilization of equipment and materials use

Recycling

-is collecting waste and processing it into
something new.
-examples of items in the laboratory that can be
recycled include plastics, paper, organics, glass and
metals.

Segregation of Waste

-an important step in waste management
-The following are the reasons to undertake waste segregation
1. It minimizes the amount of waste that needs to be managed as biohazardous
or hazardous waste (since mixing non-infectious waste with infectious or hazardous waste renders the combined
amount of infectious or hazardous respectively).
2. It facilitates waste minimization by generating a solid waste stream which can be
easily, safely, and cost-effectively managed through recycling or composting.
3. It reduces the amount of toxic substances released to the environment through
disposal of general waste (e.g., by removing mercury from general waste.
4. It makes it easier to conduct assessments of the quality and composition of
different waste streams thereby allowing health care facilities to obtain baseline data, identify options, determine waste
management costs, and assess the effectiveness of waste minimization strategies

Composting

-an important strategy to minimize waste such as food discards,
kitchen waste, cardboard and yard waste
-techniques range from simple un-aerated static piles to aerated
windrows to more advanced methods such a s vermi-composting.
-the resulting rich compost c a n be sold or donated to local farmers and
gardeners or used for plants around the health care facility grounds

Pyrolosis

-is the thermal decomposition of wastes in the absence of supplied molecular oxygen in the
destruction chamber where the waste is converted into gaseous, liquid and solid form
-waste residues may be in the form of greasy aggregates or slugs or carbon black and are
disposed to landfills.

Autoclave

-is the use of steam sterilization to render waste harmless and is an efficient wet thermal
disinfection process.
- this method of using pressure and heat is widely used and the usual setting is at 121°C with a
pressure of 15 psi for 15-30 minutes.

Microwave

- incorporates some type of size reduction device
-Shredding of wastes is being done either before disinfection or after disinfection. In this process, waste
is exposed to microwave that raises the temperature to 100° (237.6°F) for at least 30 minutes.
-Microorganisms are destroyed by moist heat which irreversibly coagulates and denatures
enzymes and structural proteins.

Chemical Disinfection

-chemicals like NaCIO, H202, Peroxyacetic acid and heated alkali are added to wastes to kill or
inactivate present pathogens.
-it is recommended to use 5 % NaCIO for chemical disinfectant

Biological Process

-uses an enzyme mixture to decontaminate wastes.
-the resulting by-product is put through an extruder to remove water for wastewater
disposal.
-this is suited for large applications and is also being developed for possible use in the
agricultural sector

Encapsulation

- Filling of containers with waste,adding and immobilizing material and sealing
containers
-the process uses either cubic boxes made of high-density polyethylene or metallic drums

Inertization

disposal.or ground water.
- a process that involves mixing of the waste with cement and other substances before
- This is to minimize the risks of toxic substances contained in the waste migrating into surface wate