Needle disposal boxes in bathrooms on college campuses provide a safe receptacle where students who take injectable medications can discard their used needles. College students who use injectable medications while on campus often face a difficult conundrum: Do they toss their used needles in campus trash cans, posing a health risk to custodial staff, or carry them around campus until they can safely dispose of them, running the risk of accidently poking themselves or others […]

Hospitals are not fully prepared to handle waste from Ebola and other deadly viruses on-site, according to the Healthcare Coalition for Emergency Preparedness. Hospitals in the U.S. have been instructed to ramp up their preparedness plans, but many of these facilities still aren’t able to sterilize medical waste from Ebola or other deadly diseases on site, according to the Healthcare Coalition for Emergency Preparedness. Late last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ […]

The health care sector accounts for almost 10% of U.S. emissions and is one of the country’s largest producers of waste. What can be done to make it more sustainable, while maintaining safety? If you were being treated in a hospital, your immediate concerns probably wouldn’t include plastic waste, but maybe they should. Growing awareness of the links between environmental and human health has some in the U.S. health care system wondering if the pledge […]

Do you run a medical facility? If so, you understand how important it is to correctly eliminate medical waste. Medical waste is one of the most dangerous types of waste. It can contain all sorts of contaminants and diseases, which is why it’s so important to get rid of it correctly. Improper disposal can lead to serious health problems for both people and animals. This article will discuss the importance of safely and responsibly getting […]

Flushing or throwing away unused medications can contaminate waterways, threatening people and wildlife. Here are some safer solutions. If you have a stash of unwanted, expired, or unused medicines in a cabinet or drawer somewhere in your home and you don’t know the best way to get rid of them, you’re not alone. A 2021 survey conducted on behalf of Covanta, a New Jersey-based waste management company, found that 53 percent of the 2,000 Americans […]

Medical waste is a huge environmental issue. As demand for PPE – including gloves, masks, and gowns – grew worldwide in response to the Covid-19 outbreak in the last two years, medical waste disposal rates skyrocketed. What is Medical Waste? Any waste that is of medical or laboratory origin can be classified as medical waste. This includes hospitals, laboratories, mortuaries, human as well as animal testing and research centres, blood banks, and nursing homes. According […]