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Color Coding of Biomedical Waste: A Guide

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Not causing damage to the environment and putting the lives of patients and healthcare workers are some of the critical considerations when disposing of hospital waste. How the waste is removed or sterilized depends on the kind of medical waste it is. This is where color-coding of waste comes into play.Color coding of waste means differentiating various kinds of waste into different categories by using colors. To do this effectively, the institution has to know what kind of materials are to be thrown away. The categories might vary depending on the medical facility. Nevertheless, here is the primary color categorization of biomedical wastes:Yellow• Chemical Waste• Infectious Waste• Laboratory Waste• Expired medicationsThis is the category where most biomedical waste falls. Nevertheless, these wastes sometimes need to be disposed of in particular and different containers since some are too hazardous to be disposed of the same way as others. Red• Infectious WasteFor collecting this kind of waste, a red plastic bag or container that is non-chlorinated can be used. A sterilizer on-or shredder can be used for the final disposal. White• Sharp OjectsThese are wastes that have metal and sharp tips that can cut or puncture containers. Some examples of these are blades, scalpels, and needles. Therefore, a tamper-proof container is needed. The final disposal can be done the same way as the wastes in the red group.Blue• Glass ContainersAlthough some consider glassware as part of sharp wastes, some vials and ampules are not as dangerous as other wastes in the red category. Therefore, they can be autoclaved before completely disposing of them.