Benchmarking of hazardous waste management in hospital

Abstract

This work investigated the information of waste management in general hospitals to establish benchmarking of hospital waste management and to propose waste minimization options for waste management in hospital. The study was carried out in general hospitals (public and private hospital) located in Chiang Mai City during the period of October 2002 to Febuary 2003. The hospital waste composition survey documented that the generation rate of total solid waste from hospitals in Chiang Mai City varied from 2.38 to 5.10 kg per occupied bed per day and 0.336 to 1.039 kg per patient per day. The waste generation rate in private hospital was found to be higher compared to public hospital. The analysis of quantification indicated that the occupancy rate and the number of total patient affected the rate of waste generation. In the study of existing waste management practices in surveyed hospitals, the informations were surveyed by questionnaires, interviwing and site inspection. This study indicated that the private hospitals seem to have good management providing source separation, pretreatment of some infectious waste, educated staffs and implemented source reduction. In the study of hazardous waste management in surveyed hospitals, the existing and potential hazardous waste minimization options were characterized for the following waste streams: solvent, chemotherapy waste, photographic chemicals, formaldehyde waste, radioactive waste, mercury and other toxics and corrosives. The hazardous waste study found that chemotherapy waste represent the highest volume of hazardous waste at each hospital. This was followed by spent photographic chemical and formaldehyde solution. The benchmark data and the proposed waste minimization options for hospital have been establised.