Reform and development of medical waste disposal technology system in the new era

Medical waste is a special category of waste with potential health and environment risks. Medical waste management and disposal is a difficult problem in the western China because the shortage of financial support. Kunming city was selected to assess the current achievement and experience of medical waste management and disposal. Kunming municipal government solved the problem of medical waste disposal by adopting the model of BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer). The analyzed results showed that there was a good achievement of medical waste disposal in Kunming city that medical waste disposal realized centralized and normalized disposal, and centralized disposal had amounted to one hundred percent in urban area since 2006. Medical waste disposal in Kunming city mainly includes three steps, that is,the sort and collection of respective medical institutions, the centralized collection and transport of Kunming Center for Medical Waste Centralized Disposal (KCMWCD) and incineration . Kunming municipal government approved franchise for Medical waste disposal. The government has strengthened the medical waste disposal by building the effective administrative monitoring system of medical waste, organizing some meetings and visiting the place of medical waste disposal for relevant person and training them, and imposing the medical waste disposal fee on medical institution.

: The novel coronavirus pneumonia is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It has been widely spread worldwide. At present, the situation of novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control in China is still bleak. Waste disposal for the novel coronavirus should be standardized, a necessary measure for avoiding the re-spread of novel coronavirus and preventing secondary disasters. The management and disposal of medical waste is increasingly valued worldwide. International organizations represented by WHO are actively providing developing countries with comprehensive medical waste management and disposal systems to protect the health and environmental safety of people in more countries. The current investigation has found that there may be novel coronavirus in the medical waste. If the medical waste generated from the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia patients is not properly disposed of, it is likely to cause the novel pneumonia epidemic to break out again. Effective management of medical waste disposal related to novel coronavirus pneumonia is an essential requirement for the prevention and control of novel coronavirus pneumonia in medical waste disposal institutions. According to the types and hazards of medical waste and the characteristics of medical waste disposal, specific control measures are put forward for the management of the premises, personnel management, disposal of medical wastes, and emergency management.

Global epidemic prevention and control has entered the normalization stage, but the situation of local epidemic prevention and control is still complex and severe. In the new historical period, how to build on past successes to further advance our cause, and how to grasp the key issues and solve specific problems need to be examined and discussed from the perspective of technological change and development. Based on the systematic analysis of the current situation of China's existing medical waste disposal technology, and based on the opportunities and challenges faced by management and disposal technology, this paper analyzes the specific practices, work results and experience the enlightenment of the existing disposal technology and disposal mode, and puts forward the research and judgment of the future development pattern of China's medical waste, which provides a basis for the future treatment and disposal of China's medical waste and fine management.

Purpose This study analyzed factors related with medical solid waste management. Method A qualitative study, involved 172 health workers as participants. Findings This study explained variables related with medical solid waste management were educational level (p = 0.0081; PR = 0.63), attitude (p = 0.0202; OR = 1.27), availability of medical solid waste disposal facility (p = 0.000; OR = 2.01), implementation of policy in medical solid waste (p = 0.0140; PR = 1.340). The most variable related with medical solid waste management was availability of solid medical waste disposal facility (OR = 4.588). However, length of work and knowledge were no relation. Conclusion This study suggested significant relationship between education level, attitude, availability of medical solid waste disposal facility and implementation of policy in medical solid waste management. The most variable related with medical solid waste management was availability of medical solid waste disposal facility.

The rapid increase in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients also means a rapid increase in medical waste that could carry the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). How to safely dispose of medical waste caused by COVID-19 is a huge challenge that needs to be solved urgently. The outbreak of the COVID-19 has led to a significant increase in the daily generation of medical waste in China and has placed a severe test on the Chinese medical waste disposal system. Unlike ordinary wastes and garbage, medical waste that is untreated or incompletely treated will not only cause environmental pollution, but also directly or indirectly cause infections and endanger people’s health. Faced with difficulties, the Chinese government formulated a policy for medical waste management and a response plan for the epidemic, which provides policy guarantee for the standardized disposal of epidemic medical waste. In addition, the government and medical institutions at all levels formed a comprehensive, refined, and standardized medical treatment process system during research and practice. China has increased the capacity of medical waste disposal in various places by constructing new centralized disposal centers and adding mobile disposal facilities. China has achieved good results in the fight against COVID-19, and the pressure on medical waste disposal has been relieved to a certain extent. However, the global epidemic situation is severe. How to ensure the proper and safe disposal of medical waste is related to the prevention and control of the epidemic situation. This study summarizes China’s experience in the disposal of medical waste in the special case of COVID-19 and hopes to provide some reference for other countries in the disposal of medical waste.

The health sector is critical to the well-being of any country, but developing countries have several obstacles that prevent them from providing adequate health care. This became an even larger concern after the COVID-19 outbreak left millions of people dead worldwide and generated huge amounts of infected or potentially infected wastes. The management and disposal of medical wastes during and post-COVID-19 represent a major challenge in all countries, but this challenge is particularly great for developing countries that do not have robust waste disposal infrastructure. The main problems in developing countries include inefficient treatment procedures, limited capacity of healthcare facilities, and improper waste disposal procedures. The management of medical wastes in most developing countries was primitive prior to the pandemic. The improper treatment and disposal of these wastes in our current situation may further speed COVID-19 spread, creating a serious risk for workers in the medical and sanitation fields, patients, and all of society. Therefore, there is a critical need to discuss emerging challenges in handling, treating, and disposing of medical wastes in developing countries during and after the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a need to determine best disposal techniques given the conditions and limitations under which developing countries operate. Several open questions need to be investigated concerning this global issue, such as to what extent developing countries can control the expected environmental impacts of COVID-19, particularly those related to medical wastes? What are the projected management scenarios for medical wastes under the COVID-19 outbreak? And what are the major environmental risks posed by contaminated wastes related to COVID-19 treatment? Studies directed at the questions above, careful planning, the use of large capacity mobile recycling facilities, and following established guidelines for disposal of medical wastes should reduce risk of COVID-19 spread in developing countries.Graphical abstract

Background: one of the effects or impacts arising from the implementation of health service activities is the emergence of medical waste. Medical waste generated can be at high risk of causing negative side effects for health if not handled properly. In Indonesia itself, it has implemented regulations related to medical waste management in health facilities listed in the region-based medical waste management program. Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province is one of the target areas in this program, however, there are still some shortcomings in the implementation of medical waste management and disposal so it still poses a high health risk. Method: The method used is qualitative, with the collection of literature sources that meet the criteria for analysis. Objective: To determine developments in the management and disposal of medical waste on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Results: From the results of 3 literature reviews, it is shown that not one hundred percent of the management and disposal of medical waste in health facilities on the island of Lombok has been carried out in accordance with government recommendations. Regarding the separation of medical and non-medical waste, sharps waste and general waste are still not appropriate. Disposal of medical waste is not in accordance with the specified quality standard threshold. Conclusion: Medical waste management at Lombok Island Health Facilities needs to get further attention related to sorting to proper management and disposal.

Use Incentive Approach to Promote BAT/BEP for Centralized Incineration Facilities of Medical Waste in China

The main objective of this study is the evaluation of medical waste management in Thessaly region, Greece. Nowadays, medical waste treatment and disposal is one of the most important problems in many countries. The reason is simple. Medical waste and specifically infectious medical waste disposal could be extremely dangerous, especially if it is not controlled, according to the basic principles of waste management. Our research was carried out in the 5 hospitals (1 university and 4 general hospitals) that operate in the region of Thessaly and our findings have shown that most of hospitals use the method of steam sterilization in a mobile treatment unit for their waste treatment. More specifically, private companies, which deal with medical waste treatment, visit the hospitals once per week and sterilize the waste in the mobile unit. On the other hand, the university hospital uses the method of incineration for its waste treatment. Regarding the incinerator, it should be noticed that it is a double chamber incinerator. The primary combustion chamber is used for the waste incineration and the secondary combustion chamber is used for the incineration of the fumes. This incinerator operates without the necessary equipment for the air pollution minimization. The medical wastes that are produced in the other medical facilities in the region are disposed without specific care for the environment. It is the outcome of our research that planning about the optimal medical waste management is essential in the effort to achieve an integrated medical waste management according to the principles of sustainable development.

In 2023, Gansu Province, a total of 23 built and put into operation of the centralized disposal unit of medical waste, 14 municipal and state-level, 9 county-level disposal units; production line a total of 39, 15 incineration type process, non-incineration type process 24; Lanzhou City, the day-to-day use of rotary kiln incineration disposal, the rest of the municipalities and states of the disposal unit are the day-to-day use of non-incineration method of disposing of medical waste, the incineration method of process production line on a regular or Regular or irregular operation of the incineration process production line to dispose of the last three types of medical waste. In view of the problems in the disposal and management of medical waste in the province, countermeasures and suggestions have been put forward, such as the preparation of the Gansu Province Medical Waste Disposal Technology and Capacity Enhancement Plan, the construction of a mechanism for dynamic monitoring and risk assessment of medical waste, the exploration of efficient operation modes, the formulation of incentivizing regulatory policies, the research and development of new and high-tech disposal technologies, and the introduction of low-temperature magnetization and cracking technical specifications.

Medical (biomedical) wastes pose numerous potential health and safety hazards. In addition to their infectious and toxic characteristics, the highly variable and inconsistent nature of medical waste streams has increased public concern about storage, treatment, transportation, and ultimate disposal. In recent years, techniques have been developed to reduce human exposure to the toxic and infectious components of medical wastes. The most commonly used techniques include internal segregation, containment, and incineration. Other common techniques include grinding, shredding, and disinfection, e.g., autoclaving and chemical treatment followed by landfilling. Of all the available technologies for medical waste treatment and disposal, incineration has been found to be the most effective method overall for destroying infectious and toxic material, volume reduction, and weight reduction in the medical waste stream, incineration destroys the broadest variety of medical waste constituents and can recover energy from the medical waste stream. Incineration also is an appropriate alternative to burial of human pathological remains.

This study explores the progression of global healthcare and medical waste (HMW) disposal technologies and emerging practices in China including the COVID-19 pandemic period through patent technology innovation analysis. Trends were identified through both the Derwent Innovation Index database and bibliometric methods. Based on the bibliometric analysis of 4128 patents issued from 2002 to 2021, the development status and research trends of HMW disposal technology were revealed. Regarding patents, China significantly advanced post-2011. However, a large number of applications are filed only in China and are more focused on domestic rather than overseas markets. As the pandemic remains a threat, and increasing amounts of medical waste are generated, new technologies are being sought in China that will be safer for humans and the environment, and will also be in line with the zero waste technology trend. Incineration and waste crushing are core methodologies in medical waste disposal. Future directions pivot towards innovations in large-scale and distributed processing equipment, automation and unmanned systems and high-temperature steam disinfection collaborative disposal methods—including the “High temperature steam–municipal solid waste incineration collaborative technology” and the “High temperature steam–thermal magnetic gasification collaborative technology”. This patent analysis enhances our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on HMW disposal practices, guiding improved policymaking and research in the HMW sector.

The article analyzes the environmental, legal and administrative aspects of medical waste disposal during the Covid-19 pandemic in Ukraine. The substantiation of priorities of improvement of ecological-legal and administrative-legal maintenance of procedure of utilization of medical waste during the Covid-19 pandemic is presented. It is emphasized that the state takes a number of measures to reduce mortality from this disease, while increasing the negative impact on the environment of medical waste generated as a result of vaccination, disease prevention, diagnosis, inpatient treatment of this disease. Their uncontrolled disposal together with household waste has a negative impact on the environment, polluting land and water resources, is a dangerous source of infection. It is established that the environmental, legal and administrative support of the medical waste disposal procedure during the Covid-19 pandemic is related to the formation of the regulatory framework for medical waste management, including collection, transportation, storage, sorting, processing (processing), disposal, removal, and effective activities of public administration and law enforcement agencies to monitor this process. The facts of successful counteraction of such bodies to illegal activity concerning transportation, storage, utilization of medical waste are emphasized. It was found that many problems in this area are due to insufficient funding of the medical sector. The need to implement effective administrative and legal measures, especially control and supervision of economic entities for the disposal of medical waste, to regulate in detail the procedure for medical waste disposal, to devote an important place to this issue in the National Environmental Action Plan until 2025, approved by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of April 21, 2021 № 443-r and to strengthen the administrative liability of licensed organizations for the provision of medical services for violations in this area. It is recognized that in such conditions it is extremely important to adapt EU legislation on medical waste disposal to Ukrainian realities.

Medical waste management problems are rising due to the crisis brought upon by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a worldwide pandemic. The security management of medical care worldwide increases their attention due to the high risk of COVID-19 medical waste. This paper gives a review of medical waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. Furthermore, an effort has been made to prepare a review of the characteristics, generation, collection, transportation, disposal, and treatment technologies of solid waste management worldwide. Detailed data on medical waste management practices, including collection, recovery, and disposal, have been presented. The poor medical waste management in Iraq before and during COVID-19 causes a huge environmental risk and can be a possible reappearing infection source. Hence, the study also points out some recommendations for handling COVID-19 pandemic medical waste properly to reduce possible secondary effects on health and the environment and manage any possible pandemics in the future.

The ongoing improvement in healthcare standards and the frequent occurrence of epidemic outbreaks have led to a significant rise in medical waste (MW) generation, revealing weaknesses in China’s existing management system and disposal technologies for MW. This situation underscores the urgent need to reassess the effectiveness of MW management and disposal practices. This study analyzes China’s centralized MW disposal capacity, the distribution of facilities, the evolution and characteristics of disposal technologies, and the current policy framework. Challenges such as limited technological applicability, inadequate disposal capacity in rural and remote areas, and a lack of emergency disposal capabilities have been identified. Given the new challenges and complexities in the MW industry, two strategies are proposed, including comprehensive whole-process management and the integration of routine and emergency disposal. This research offers a systematic solution for MW disposal, aiming to improve management practices, enhance disposal efficiency, and strengthen emergency response capabilities.