Why We Should Start Waste Management

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:26:36 +0000

Waste management is something that every household, business, education and medical institutions should learn or implement. In the United States, a study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that an American would produce about .75 tons of waste every year. About 90 % or 325-375 million tons of toxic wastes are being dumped by industrialized countries every year. United Nations received reports of waste management problems from about 60 % of countries in the 1992 Earth Summit.

It is not about just the environment that we would have to worry about. Wastes not properly disposed can cause huge health risks to people or communities surrounding the area where the wastes were disposed. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that there are five million fatalities every year because of not properly disposing wastes.

Improper waste disposal could increase dangers of increasing vermin and pests. They could spread in the community, a common disease called dengue brought by mosquito bites is very dangerous disease often times associated with stagnant water and piles of garden wastes. People could also be vulnerable to leptospirosis or infection that you could get from vermin urine and feces. Litters like broken glasses or scrap of metals can also cause tetanus.

Another danger about improper waste management, would be hazardous materials and poison which could affect the environment and the community. Medical or health care wastes can have radioactive isotopes which could get into water and result into polluted bodies of water where your kids swim. Aside from health care wastes, human wastes can also be very dangerous when disposed improperly, especially if they come from people who are suffering from certain diseases. This could also contaminate sources of water.

Unkempt yards and streets could also give an impression about the people who live in the area. It could affect the economy of the community, it is unlikely that entrepreneurs would like to invest in a community that does not invite security and safety.

Most people think that waste management is all about spending sizeable amount. Actually, it does not have to be like that. Not managing and dumping wastes irresponsibly tends to be more costly. Think about the loss of income from not trying to save on equipment and appliances.

Disposing hazardous wastes is another major problem. Hazardous wastes are actually very much present in our household. According to U.S. EPA, there are about 1.8 million tons of household hazardous waste being disposed every year. And most homeowners are not even conscious that they are storing hazardous chemicals in their cupboards.

Waste management could actually be summed up in three simple words: reduce, reuse and recycle. In United Kingdom, the country’s recycling efforts was able to help reduce 10-15 million tonnes of CO2 emission every year. Homeowners and other institutions could start by segregating trash, monitoring quantities and kinds of wastes being disposed, and making sure that they are being transported out of your site properly.

Waste management training could be given to employees, workers and staff. Having a waste management plan and people committed in carrying it out, will make the plan successful.

Tags:1992 Earth Summit,Environmental protection agency,hazardous chemicals,hazardous waste,Health care,Kingdom,Litters,recycling,United States,waste disposal

Medical Or Hospital Waste Management

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:07:54 +0000

Health care wastes are among the most important waste management programs that state or city government should pay attention to. Health care wastes or HCW are objects both sharp and non-sharp, body parts, chemicals, drugs, medical devices and radioactive materials that health care institution dispose. In the United States about 7000 tons of waste everyday or 2 million tons annually is collected from hospitals and health clinics.

Hospital wastes are mainly solid wastes. There are bio-hazardous materials, flammable and toxic materials. There are also radioactive or isotopes which very dangerous to handle. Medical wastes would also include batteries, fluorescent lamps, e-wastes like computers, and corrosive dangerous items like those drugs used in anaesthesiology.

Hospital or health care wastes are divided into categories. This would help in properly using waste disposal methods based on the nature of the waste materials. There is the general trash which refers to recyclable materials. Regulated medical wastes are also referred to as infectious waste since they are capable of causing infectious disease. While hazardous wastes may pose serious problems to human health and environment. There are specific disposal regulations that each category should follow, specially hazardous waste.

Any health care institution generates this kind of medicate waste. Other institutions that produce medical wastes are laboratories, blood banks, morgues and funeral parlors, medical schools and even research institutions. It is important for each of this institution to have and implement a waste management plan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides programme activities that would help hospital and health care institutions develop programs and technical materials for assessing their wastes, creating action plans, and developing management guidelines for medical institutions.

Hospitals should have waste management teams that would enhance or develop waste management plan. Most of the times, the waste management team is comprised of the hospital staff, like the head of hospital and the hospital departments, pharmacists, infection control officer, and hospital manager or administrator. Normally, there would be a waste management officer that would oversee the implementation of the plan on daily operation.

When making a waste management plan (WMP), the waste management should be prepared to address different issues like the existing waste disposal practices and the quantity of waste being disposed. The WMP should be able to come up with different plans and strategies that could minimize waste through recycling and reusing. It should also cover training health care professionals, staff about waste disposal.

Forming a waste management team and drafting a waste management plan is not the last step. The waste management plan should go through evaluation and maybe some changes depending on the result of the evaluation. Updating the system may be needed especially when the institution is undergoing some major changes or renovation in their system. There are also national government agencies requiring hospitals and medical institution to submit records of their waste management and disposal methods.

Health care institutions are not only responsible in making people in communities get the proper health care. They are also responsible for ensuring that the community is safe from materials that would be detrimental to the health of the people. Having a waste management plan would surely help in ensuring that health care institutions would make the community safe.

Tags:devices,fluorescent lamps,hazardous waste,HCW,Health care,infectious disease,recycling,United States,waste disposal,waste materials

Waste Management Info » Health care

Why We Should Start Waste Management

Related posts

Medical Or Hospital Waste Management

Related posts