Medical Waste Generation Research Articles

An Evaluation of Health Care Waste Generation and Disposal at Ramadi Teaching Hospital in Iraq

In recent years, hospital waste has been one of the most serious issues in Iraq and other parts of the world. The current study aims to measure and analyze hospital waste output across all departments at the Ramadi Teaching Hospital. The data on waste generation rates gathered for the study were primarily based on existing records of field management of hospital waste over the course of eight months (one week per month) for all departments in the hospital; however, some random sampling information was provided to supplement the data. The results revealed that the estimated rate of medical waste creation at Ramadi hospital was between 144 and 188 kg/day, whereas the general (non-medical) waste generation was between (240-278) kg/day. In terms of patient numbers and per occupied bed, the average medical waste generation rates were from 0.60 to 0.90 kg/patient/day and (0.85-1.11) kg/bed/day, respectively, whereas the average general trash generation rates ranged from 0.86 to 1.15 kg/patient/day and 1.42-1.64 kg/bed/day. The recent analysis concluded that the hospital's segregation procedure is still inefficient, and there is room for improvement in terms of reducing hazardous medical waste creation

A novel hybrid multi-criteria group decision-making approach with intuitionistic fuzzy sets to design reverse supply chains for COVID-19 medical waste recycling channels

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to exponential growth in COVID-19 medical waste (CMW) generation worldwide. This tremendous growth in CMW is a major transmission medium for COVID-19 virus and thus brings serious challenges to medical waste (MW) management. Designing an efficient and reliable CMW reverse supply chain in this situation can help to prevent epidemic spread. Nowadays, the assessment of CMW recycling channels has become a challenging mission for health-care institutions, especially in developing countries. It can be seen as a complex multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem that requires the consideration of multiple conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. Nevertheless, few academics have been concerned about this issue. Moreover, current MCGDM methods have limited support for CMW recycling channel evaluation and they do not consider hospitals’ reverse supply chain strategy when evaluating. Thus, this study presents a novel MCGDM approach based on intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) and the VIKOR method for assessing the capacity of CWM recycling channels. According to the characteristics of CMW, processing flow and the TOE (Technology, Organization and Environment) theoretical framework, we established a new CMW recycling channel capacity evaluation index system which makes our proposed method more targeted and efficient. In the decision-making process, we integrate the best-worst method (BWM) and entropy to determine the decision makers (DMs) weighting in a more comprehensive way, considering both subjective and objective criteria, which was ignored by many MCGDM methods. A new aggregation operator called IFWA is proposed by us, considering the priority of DMs. Based on both the ranking of capacity and disposal charges, we then position the alternatives in the recycling channel priority index (RCPI) matrix constructed by us. According to this PCPI matrix and the reverse supply chain strategy of hospitals, a more reasonable CMW allocation strategy is determined and a more efficient CMW reverse supply chain is designed. Finally, a real case study from Wuhan was examined to illustrate the validation of our approach.

Medical laboratory waste generation rate, management practices and associated factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Biomedical wastes (BMWs) generated from medical laboratories are hazardous and can endanger both humans and the environment. Highly infectious biomedical wastes are produced at an unacceptably high rate from health laboratories in developing countries with poor management systems, such as Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of biomedical waste generation, management practices, and associated factors in public healthcare medical laboratories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From July 13 to September 25, 2020, a health institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 hospital laboratories and 20 health centres laboratories in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and practice of biomedical waste management and generation rate were collected d in health facilities using pre tested data collection tools. SPSS version 20 was used to manage the data. To identify independent predictors of the dependent variable, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, linear, and logistic regression analysis were used. The strength of the association was determined using an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. In this study, the mean ± SD daily generation rate of biomedical wastes was 4.9 ± 3.13 kg/day per medical laboratory. Nineteen medical laboratories (74.3%) had proper biomedical waste management practice, which is significantly associated with professionals' knowledge of biomedical waste management policies and guidelines, the availability of separate financial sources for biomedical waste management, and the level of training of professionals. The study found that medical laboratories in Addis Ababa's public healthcare facilities generate a significant amount of biomedical waste. Nearly two-thirds of hospitals performed proper waste segregation, collection, storage, and treatment procedures for biomedical waste generated in their laboratories. However, there was a poor transportation and disposal method. As a result, paying special attention and implementing the current national guidelines for biomedical waste management is recommended.

Optimal waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic

There have been many problems generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of them is the worrying increase in the generation of medical waste due to the great risk they represent for health. Therefore, this work proposes a mathematical model for optimal solid waste management, proposing a circular value chain where all types of waste are treated in an intensified industrial park. The model selects the processing technologies and their production capacity. The problem was formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem to maximize profits and the waste processed, minimizing environmental impact. The proposed strategy is applied to the case study of the city of New York, where the increase in the generation of medical waste has been very significant. To promote recycling, different tax rates are proposed, depending on the amount of waste sent to the landfill. The results are presented on a Pareto curve showing the trade-off between profits and processed waste. We observed that the taxes promote recycling, even of those wastes that are not very convenient to recycle (from an economic point of view), favoring profits, reducing the environmental impact, and the risk to health inherent to the medical waste.

Infectious medical waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic in public hospitals of West Guji zone, southern Ethiopia

IntroductionCOVID-19 has swept through the world in a very short period; large volumes of medical waste are being generated in response to the pandemic. Hence, it is imperative to plan and develop evidence-based additional waste management systems. ObjectiveTo assess infectious medical waste management system during the COVID-19 pandemic in public hospitals of the West Guji zone, southern Ethiopia, 2020. MethodsInstitution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from November 05-25/2020. To determine infectious medical waste generation rate, different color plastic buckets and bags was distributed to each ward of the hospitals. Then, its quantity was measured by using a calibrated weighing balance for seven consecutive days. An interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect data related to the existing waste management system, and the knowledge, attitude and practice of waste handlers. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 25 and presented in tables, figures and texts as appropriate. ResultThe average infectious medical waste generation rate was determined to be 2.1 kg/bed/day and/or 0.57kg/patient/day. Besides, there was limited segregation of infectious medical waste at the point of generation. Mixed medical waste was collected and transported by using open plastic bin and burned in a brick incinerator or/and dumped in an open field. Moreover, about 42%, 44.6% and 64.8% of the waste handlers had adequate knowledge; a positive attitude and adequate practice respectively. ConclusionThe average infectious medical waste generation rate is above the threshold value (0.2kg/bed/day) set by the WHO. Besides, its management was limited. There was also a gap in the knowledge and attitude of waste handlers towards infectious medical waste management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proposed Solutions to Address the Challenges of Medical Waste Management in Health Facilities in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi City County, Kenya

Medical waste management in Kenya has been greatly affected by the country's elevated production levels. The majority of medical facilities do not have an extensive medical waste management system, or if they do, they do not handle waste thoroughly, and therefore is detrimental to humans and the environment. This research focuses on health facilities’ management of medical waste in Kamukunji sub-county, assessing the specific problems of medical waste management in that area. This was a study focusing on healthcare workers, their working conditions and habits. This study was an analytical cross-sectional study design. Multistage sampling methods for the selection of 10 health facilities and 141 study participants. The R square was 0.746, indicating that medical waste management was harmed by a lack of funding, insufficient logistics, a lack of disposal sites, and a lack of understanding. This demonstrated a 74.6 percent variance in healthcare waste management due to a lack of funding, insufficient logistical supply, a lack of disposal site, and a lack of awareness. The remaining 25.4% implies that there were additional issues affecting the healthcare waste management systems of the ten health facilities evaluated. By explicitly identifying a given color with a certain category and its accompanying hazard, segregation aids to make waste processing safer. During the research period, Pumwani Maternity Hospital generated the most medical waste (80Kg) and Bahati Health Center generated the least (15Kg). The study concludes that periodic updates in medical waste management are necessary, as is refresher training for healthcare professionals and waste handlers. Additionally, it is advised that each health care facility have a safe and hygienic system in place for the handling, segregation, c collection, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of medical waste. All health facilities in Kenya, the study states, should adhere to the National Policy on Injection Safety and Medical Waste Management (2007). The 2007 strategy aims to emphasize the need of advocating for both the support and execution necessary to adequately manage healthcare waste. Keywords: Medical waste generation, health risks, medical waste management solutions, challenges of medical waste management, health facilities

The Impact of Economic Growth and Tiered Medical Policy on the Medical Waste Generation: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve Model

Medical waste has a high environmental risk, economic development and medical policies can affect medical waste generation. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is an important indicator to measure the macroeconomic development status, and the tiered medical policy plays an important role in the process of China’s medical reform. The study considered the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of medical waste generation (MWG) in eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, using economic indicator (GDP per capita) and policy indicator (tiered medical policy) to reveal the impact of economic development and medical policy on MWG. Furthermore, residents, especially the elderly, are the main consumers of medical resources, and medical institutions are the main places where medical waste is generated. Education level can affect waste management practices. Therefore, the research introduced population size, number of medical institutions, aging degree and education level as control variables. The results confirmed the validity of the N-shaped EKC curve between medical waste and GDP per capita. The amount of medical waste would continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate was not fixed. Implementing the tiered medical policy had shown a trend towards reducing medical waste. Population size and aging degree positively affected the generation of medical waste. The number of medical institutions negatively affected the generation of medical waste. The effect of education level on MWG could be ignored. Based on the empirical analysis results, this research put forward relevant policy suggestions in the light of medical waste management practice in China.

A Review of Medical Waste Management Systems in the Republic of Korea for Hospital and Medical Waste Generated from the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the increasing generation of medical waste worldwide, managing medical waste has become crucial, given its potential environmental and public health risks. Previously in the Republic of Korea, medical waste was often mixed with municipal waste and disposed of in residential landfills or unsuitable treatment facilities (e.g., improperly managed incinerators). Environmental regulators and waste producers have made extensive efforts in recent years to improve waste management at healthcare facilities. This study presents an overview of the status of medical waste management in Korea and discusses information on the generation, composition, separation, transportation, and treatment of medical waste. Incineration was confirmed to be the most preferred treatment method for medical waste and was the only one used until late 2005. Large-scale medical waste incinerators are used for treating medical waste from most medical facilities in Korea; however, with increasing regulations on toxic air emissions (e.g., dioxins and furans), air emission standards are being tightened for all existing small-scale incineration facilities without air pollution control. Since medical waste usually contains various plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, these incinerators are highly likely to emit toxic air pollutants if improperly operated and managed. Waste minimization and recycling, control of toxic air emissions from medical waste incinerators, and alternative treatment methods to incineration are seen as major challenges. Incineration capacity cannot be expanded as quickly as the rising quantities of medical waste in Korea; thus, there is a growing need to reconsider the overall management system. Accordingly, we examined various medical waste treatment policies and methods that are being implemented in other countries, in addition to the main strategy of waste management. To determine preferable directions for the improvement of the medical waste management system, we investigated and compared the status of domestic and foreign waste management and proposed directions for improvement, focusing on several issues related to the current medical waste management system in Korea.

Experimental analysis on products distribution and characterization of medical waste pyrolysis with a focus on liquid yield quantity and quality

The massive generation of medical waste (MW) poses a serious risk to the natural environment and human health. The pyrolysis technique is proposed as a potential treatment for MW to tackle the associated environmental issues and produce value-added products. In this work, medical waste pyrolysis has been conducted at various temperatures using a fixed bed reactor with a 20 °C·min−1 heating rate and nitrogen was used as a career gas with a flow rate of 100 ml·min−1. In addition, the effect of temperature on products yield and chemical composition of MW pyrolysis have been investigated. The maximum yield of 57.1% for liquid oil was observed from the mixed MW pyrolysis at 500 °C. The gas and char yield were found between 26.5–37.3% and 24.2–12.4%, respectively, for the pyrolysis temperature of 450 °C to 600 °C. According to GC analysis, the concentration of the main gaseous products such as CH4, H2, and C2H4 was increased with increasing temperature, while CO and CO2 experienced a decreasing trend. The results of GC–MS analysis revealed that the main components of MW pyrolysis oil were aromatic hydrocarbons, cyclic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohol, carboxylic acids, and their derivatives. The aromatic and cyclic hydrocarbons content increased up to 38.2% at a pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C. As pyrolysis oil tends to have more long-chain hydrocarbons therefore carbon distributions from C7 to C35 were observed. The ultimate analysis of oil and char revealed that the increased temperature enhanced the carbon content up to 78.6% and 68.0%, respectively. Furthermore, the higher heat values of 41.8, 24.4, and 52.7 MJ·kg−1 were reported for oil, char, and gas, respectively.

Principal of environmental life cycle assessment for medical waste during COVID-19 outbreak to support sustainable development goals

Disposal of medical waste (MW) must be considered as a vital need to prevent the spread of pandemics during Coronavirus disease of the pandemic in 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the globe. In addition, many concerns have been raised due to the significant increase in the generation of MW in recent years. A structured evaluation is required as a framework for the quantifying of potential environmental impacts of the disposal of MW which ultimately leads to the realization of sustainable development goals (SDG). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered as a practical approach to examine environmental impacts of any potential processes during all stages of a product's life, including material mining, manufacturing, and delivery. As a result, LCA is known as a suitable method for evaluating environmental impacts for the disposal of MW. In this research, existing scenarios for MW with a unique approach to emergency scenarios for the management of COVID-19 medical waste (CMW) are investigated. In the next step, LCA and its stages are defined comprehensively with the CMW management approach. Moreover, ReCiPe2016 is the most up-to-date method for computing environmental damages in LCA. Then the application of this method for defined scenarios of CMW is examined, and interpretation of results is explained regarding some examples. In the last step, the process of selecting the best environmental-friendly scenario is illustrated by applying weighting analysis. Finally, it can be concluded that LCA can be considered as an effective method to evaluate the environmental burden of CMW management scenarios in present critical conditions of the world to support SDG.

Amassing the Covid-19 driven PPE wastes in the dwelling environment of Chittagong Metropolis and associated implications

This study investigates the Covid-19 driven indiscriminate disposal of PPE wastes (mostly face mask and medical wastes) in Chittagong metropolitan area (CMA), Bangladesh. Based on the field monitoring, the mean PPE density (PPE/m2± SD) was calculated to be 0.0226 ± 0.0145, 0.0164 ± 0.0122, and 0.0110 ± 0.00863 for July, August, and September 2021, respectively (during the peak time of Covid-19 in Bangladesh). Moreover, gross information on PPE waste generation in the city was calculated using several parameters such as population density, face mask acceptance rate by urban population, total Covid-19 confirmed cases, quarantined and isolated patients, corresponding medical waste generation rate (kg/bed/day), etc. Moreover, the waste generated due to face mask and other PPEs in the CMA during the whole Covid-19 period (April 4, 2020 to September 5, 2021) were calculated to be 64183.03 and 128695.75 tons, respectively. It has been observed that the negligence of general people, lack of awareness about environmental pollution, and poor municipal waste management practices are the root causes for the contamination of the dwelling environment by PPE wastes. As a result, new challenges have emerged in solid waste management, which necessitates the development of an appropriate waste management strategy. The ultimate policies and strategies may help to achieve the SDG goals 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, and 15, and increase public perception on the use and subsequent disposal of PPEs, especially face masks.

A deep learning approach for medical waste classification

As the demand for health grows, the increase in medical waste generation is gradually outstripping the load. In this paper, we propose a deep learning approach for identification and classification of medical waste. Deep learning is currently the most popular technique in image classification, but its need for large amounts of data limits its usage. In this scenario, we propose a deep learning-based classification method, in which ResNeXt is a suitable deep neural network for practical implementation, followed by transfer learning methods to improve classification results. We pay special attention to the problem of medical waste classification, which needs to be solved urgently in the current environmental protection context. We applied the technique to 3480 images and succeeded in correctly identifying 8 kinds of medical waste with an accuracy of 97.2%; the average F1-score of five-fold cross-validation was 97.2%. This study provided a deep learning-based method for automatic detection and classification of 8 kinds of medical waste with high accuracy and average precision. We believe that the power of artificial intelligence could be harnessed in products that would facilitate medical waste classification and could become widely available throughout China.

Medical Waste from COVID-19 Pandemic-A Systematic Review of Management and Environmental Impacts in Australia.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created a global medical emergency. The unforeseen occurrence of a pandemic of this magnitude has resulted in overwhelming levels of medical waste and raises questions about management and disposal practices, and environmental impacts. The amount of medical waste generated from COVID-19 since the outbreak is estimated to be 2.6 million tons/day worldwide. In Australia, heaps of single-use gowns, facemasks/face shields, aprons, gloves, goggles, sanitizers, sharps, and syringes are disposed everyday as a result of the pandemic. Moreover, the establishment of new home/hotel quarantine facilities and isolation/quarantine centres in various Australian states and territories have increased the risks of transmission among people in these facilities and the likelihoods of general waste becoming contaminated with medical waste. This warrants the need to examine management and disposal practices implemented to reduce the transmission and spread of the virus. This study reviews the various management and disposal practices adopted in Australia for dealing with medical waste from the COVID-19 pandemic and their impacts on public health and the environment. To achieve the aims of this study, prior studies from 2019–2021 from various databases are collected and analysed. The study focuses on generation of medical waste from COVID-19, management and disposal methods, current problems/challenges and environmental and public health impacts. Considering the enormous risks involved and the significance of appropriate handling and disposal of medical waste from COVID-19, this study provides insights on short and long term responses towards managing COVID-19 waste in Australia. The study contributes to Australia’s efforts against the transmission and spread of COVID-19 and provides recommendations for the development of workable and sustainable strategies for mitigating similar pandemics in the future.

Assessment of medical waste generation, associated environmental impact, and management issues after the outbreak of COVID-19: A case study of the Hubei Province in China.

COVID-19 greatly challenges the human health sector, and has resulted in a large amount of medical waste that poses various potential threats to the environment. In this study, we compiled relevant data released by official agencies and the media, and conducted data supplementation based on earlier studies to calculate the net value of medical waste produced in the Hubei Province due to COVID-19 with the help of a neural network model. Next, we reviewed the data related to the environmental impact of medical waste per unit and designed four scenarios to estimate the environmental impact of new medical waste generated during the pandemic. The results showed that a medical waste generation rate of 0.5 kg/bed/day due to COVID-19 resulted in a net increase of medical waste volume by about 3366.99 tons in the Hubei Province. In the four scenario assumptions, i.e., if the medical waste resulting from COVID-19 is completely incinerated, it will have a large impact on the air quality. If it is disposed by distillation sterilization, it will produce a large amount of wastewater and waste residue. Based on the results of the study, we propose three policy recommendations: strict control of medical wastewater discharge, reduction and transformation of the emitted acidic gases, and attention to the emission of metallic nickel in exhaust gas and chloride in soil. These policy recommendations provide a scientific basis for controlling medical waste pollution.

Approximate standards for the generation of class B medical waste at the present stage

Closely related to the development of the healthcare system is the trend toward an increase in medical waste. Updating the indicative standards for the generation of class B medical waste is necessary for the correct operation of all sequential processes for handling medical waste. Predicting the amount of class B waste generation makes it possible to optimize work in medical organizations and reduce risks to the health of staff and patients. In this work, we noted a significant increase in the generation of medical waste of class B in multidisciplinary hospitals and Outpatient clinics in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, as well as an increase in the fraction of plastic in the composition of medical waste, a statistical evaluation of the results was carried out and indicative standards for the formation of medical waste of class B were proposed. data on indicative standards for waste generation in departments are extremely relevant due to the different fractional and morphological composition of waste, an extremely high potential infectious risk (including the spread of multidrug-resistant strains) in a number of them, for example, in intensive care units, hemodialysis, and surgery.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Safe Disposal of Biomedical Waste: The Darker Side of Healthcare

Medical waste operation is one of the numerous complex and demanding challenges facing humanity as the global population swells and the demand for medical services increase. Medical waste product in the developing world is rising quickly due to bettered access to medical services which allow ever lesser figures of admit modern medical care. Contradictory methods of waste measurement used by researchers leave these variations questionable. Objective of biomedical waste management (BMW) operation generally involves preventing diffusion of illness from patient to medical expert to forestall injury to the health care employee and staff in support services, whereas handling medicine waste, to forestall general exposure to the harmful effects of the cytotoxic, geotaxis and chemical drug waste generated in hospitals. The main objectives of this paper were to analyse the status of medical waste generation and treatment in recent years, and also address the discussion on waste risks and the impact on health and environment. The study indicates that greater training for healthcare personnel and standardising the categorization of medical waste streams are important steps toward more efficient waste management in hospitals.

Upravljanje medicinskim otpadom na teritoriji Pčinjskog upravnog okruga

Medical waste is defined as all waste generated in healthcare facilities, research facilities, and laboratories. It represents a heterogeneous mixture of waste that has the character of communal and high-risk/hazardous waste, covering 10-25% of the total generated waste. Medical waste management is a set of measures that include the collection, sorting, packaging, labelling, storage, transportation, treatment, or safe disposal of medical waste. The aim of the work is to assess the amount and dynamics of medical waste generation in the territory of the Pčinja district. In accordance with the aim of the work, the methods of analysis and synthesis were used as research methods, because the work is based on key strategic documents and programs and measures of competent authorities, in the control and management of medical waste in the territory of Pčinja district. It was also necessary to perform the selection, analysis, and processing of the results of previous research in the mentioned area. The results show that the Vranje Health Center is the only institution in charge of treating medical waste in the territory of the Pčinja district. For this purpose, this institution is equipped with devices and equipment for the treatment of medical waste. They include 2 autoclaves and 1 shredder, as well as 3 special-purpose vehicles. The main treatment of medical waste is carried out by the method of steam sterilization under pressure. The total monthly capacity of the central treatment site is about 5.5 tons of infectious medical waste. It is necessary to continue to implement the started process of mandatory classification of medical waste at the place of origin into hazardous and non-hazardous. All healthcare institutions and veterinary organizations where medical waste is generated are required to draw up waste management plans and appoint a responsible person for waste management in accordance with the law. After the temporary solution of treatment of infectious medical waste by disinfection and sterilization, followed by grinding and disposal at the landfill, it is necessary to build a facility for the thermal treatment of this waste -an incinerator.

DISSEMINATING THE BIOMEDICAL WASTE GENERATION SCENARIO DURING COVID-19: AN OVERVIEW FROM THE LOWER MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRY BANGLADESH

This study investigates the present COVID-19-related medical waste generation scenario and suggests a way forward from the perspective of lower-middle-income countries like Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a densely populated vulnerable country in the perspective of the COVID-19 induced biomedical waste management field. The pandemic COVID-19 has already created enormous instability in healthcare waste handling and subsequent recycling around the world. The medical waste management sector in Bangladesh is struggling and COVID-19 makes the situation even more complicated. A rigorous time-series calculation was done to determine the facemask and medical waste load during COVID-19 in Bangladesh from March 8, 2020, to September 13, 2021 period. Results showed that about 1,58,10,400 pieces of facemask are disposed of alone in different urban areas which is equivalent to 517 tons of solid waste while extra 5,203 tons of biomedical waste is added every day to regular waste streams during this pandemic. The findings of this study suggest that these extra tons of hazardous waste threaten the aquaculture of the country and promote the risk of contagious diseases to the waste workers especially women and as well as at the community level. The findings also reveal that this pandemic has already created a hindrance to achieving the country’s SDGs by 2020.

Modelling, Composition and production rate of medical solid waste in Tikrit: A case study of Tikrit Teaching Hospital (TTH) in Iraq

Tikrit Teaching Hospital (TTH), Tikrit, Iraq, was selected for investigation as a case study. Data collection was carried out during TTH visits and by questionnaires. Sampling was performed during a 10-month period, one week each sampling month. The medical waste analyzed was comprised of 63.04% general waste (non-risk) and 36.96% hazardous waste. The results indicated that the medical waste generation rate is 0.9 kg/bed.day and 0.75 kg/patient.day. Statistically significant linear correlations were established between the daily production of medical solid waste and the respective number of patients and the occupied beds in TTH as whole. Based on the average daily production of medical solid waste produced by the departments of TTH (kg /d), the larger producer of general medical solid waste was obstetric department with average daily production of 25 kg/d, while the larger producer of hazardous medical solid waste was obstetric department with average daily production of 11 kg/d. The average specific weight of total medical waste, general waste, and hazardous waste were determined to be 218.6, 206.5 and 225.54 kg/m3, respectively. The average moisture content of total medical waste, general waste, and hazardous waste were determined to be 21, 20.4 and 23.4 %, respectively. The average general medical waste composition was: 40% organics, 21% plastics, 19% paper, 11% glass and 9% metals. Pathological wastes and sharp objects comprised 43% and 25% of the hazardous medical waste components.

EVALUASI PENGELOLAAN SAMPAH MEDIS DI RSUD KOTA TANGERANG

Health care facilities produce medical solid waste such as household waste and waste categorized as medical waste as well as large amounts of hazardous and toxic waste (B3). From the risks posed, the solid waste produced by health care facilities which is non-medical waste, namely household waste does not contain risks, the amount is around 70-90%. While the remaining 10-25% is waste that can cause various health impacts because it is considered dangerous. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risks that can arise from the waste generated by health care facilities and to evaluate the waste management of health agencies. The stages of this research include preparation, literature review, data collection both primary and secondary data, data analysis, and data evaluation. The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019 to 2020 resulted in a significant increase in the generation of medical waste at the Tangerang City General Hospital by 77.1%. Transportation of B3 waste by third parties is hampered because the amount of solid medical waste has increased in the COVID-19 pandemic.