Why Proper Waste Disposal Is Crucial For Healthcare Businesses

When you go to the doctor, one thing you may have noticed is how trash is handled. Usually, there are multiple trash cans for regular waste and biohazard waste. While this is done to prevent contamination to other individuals, it is also very costly for medical providers if they fail to properly dispose of their waste. For every violation where a sharp object is thrown away improperly, there is a $13,653 fine per violation. This does not include the legal risk the medical provider opens themselves up to as well.

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Proper Handling of Medical Waste

In general, there are 5 main types of medical waste. The first is regular trash, which is things like paper towels or empty boxes. Then, common medical waste, which is for things like ordinary needles and scalpels and goes into a red bag. Similarly, there are also yellow sharps containers, which are for the same types of items but used specifically within chemotherapy. Next, there is pathological waste, which is specifically for human or animal body parts, fluids, or other samples taken. Lastly, there is pharmaceutical waste, which is for DEA pails and other pharmaceutical containers.

With so many categories, the true totality of the waste generated by the healthcare industry is put into perspective. In fact, healthcare facilities create 6,600 metric tons of waste everyday and are second only to the food industry. Around 15% of this waste is also extremely hazardous, as they are toxic, radioactive, or infectious in nature. When this is the case, it must be disposed of in a steam autoclave or incinerated to maintain safety guidelines.

Managing all of this can be incredibly taxing on healthcare providers, especially if it has a small number of staff or is a growing business. Not only does the disposal need to be in the proper bin, but the manifests and other documentation must be generated and kept for several years due to state requirements. In addition, handling these hazardous materials must be done with PPE and puncture-resistant containers. If the storage is a biohazard, it must be temperature-controlled and be accurately marked.

For many businesses, taking advantage of a medical waste disposal company is a much easier and more reliable method of waste disposal. With companies like Amergy Disposal, the proper protocols are taken. Most importantly, because the proper protocols and classification of waste are taken, there is much less effort generated for misclassified medical waste. Proper waste generated also generates more energy for the grid as well. It is estimated that 3.96 kWh could be passively produced from the 6,600 metric tons produced every day, which could save the US over $700 million when extrapolated over 5 years’ time. This money could be used positively for anything from research testing to Medicaid and Medicare.

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Conclusion

Ultimately, medical waste disposal can be a complicated enough business at times. To make this easier on your healthcare business, partnering with a trusted waste disposal company like Amergy Disposal can ensure that you are not only compliant but makes taking out the trash easier than ever.  

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