Abstract
Biomedical waste, contaminated sharps, and general garbage disposal is a huge problem in many developing countries including India. There are different waste management rules in India for managing different kinds of waste. These rules were revised in 2016. However, the application and practice of handling different kinds of waste as per the rules are still inadequate. Mixing general and medical waste together for disposal accentuates the situation, especially as a significant threat for sharp or needle-stick injuries. India's waste production is huge and traditional management of these mixed and contaminated wastes is a serious public and population health issue. It is also creating massive environmental concerns. Adequate hospital or biomedical waste management policy enforcement, strong public health promotional research and media campaigns, safe practice and personal hygiene education via social and mass media may alleviate the spread of serious contagious diseases. India has a high social media utilization and excellent wireless and broadband coverage. These can be used as an educational or health promotional tools to keep the public away from contagious diseases. In addition to enforcement of practicing waste management rules or guidelines, a global public health campaign on many levels is urgently required to ensure India is able to contain potential pandemics of blood borne conditions due to poor medical waste disposal practices.
Highlights
The inadequate contaminated waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal in India are causing major environmental challenges [1]
Adequate hospital or biomedical waste management policy enforcement, strong public health promotional research and media campaigns, safe practice and personal hygiene education via social and mass media may alleviate the spread of serious contagious diseases
We found a total of 61 free full-text articles that cover both biomedical and general waste disposals along with public health and environmental problems
Summary
The inadequate contaminated waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal in India are causing major environmental challenges [1]. With 1.2 billion people plus and a growing urban population, India’s medical, sharps and hospital garbage disposal, unsafe public space hygiene, and general waste and sewerage management problem is vast and incomprehensibly huge. Coping with this is highly challenging, multifaceted, and a sociological and population based issue impacting in a major way on global and Indian public health [1]. Evidence of the problem is visible in India due to its scale and size within Southeast Asia; it is enhanced by India’s lack of urban and rural planning for general and contaminated garbage and medical waste disposal
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