Recycling Medical Equipment: How it Can Lessen Hospital Waste
5/24/2022
One of the most essential types of waste management is reducing medical waste. Hospitals can best reduce their waste by combining waste prevention with a comprehensive recycling effort.
Medical waste and Ways of Recycling It
Healthcare waste can is generally divided into non-hazardous hazardous materials categories. Then, it is mostly recycled through:
● Autoclaves
● Chemical treatment
● microwave irradiation
Types of medical recycling
There are three forms of medical waste recycling. These include:
● Third-party recycling
● in-house recycling (by hospitals and labs)
● Non-compliant recycling (by small clinics).
A third-party recycling plant must be able to obtain a consistent supply of undamaged, used medical devices and then recycle them at a cost that allows them to sell at a lower cost than that of a new device.
The business models of in-house recycling differ from third-party providers since they generally use devices they have purchased themselves, and they intend them for their own use.
Recycling of medical waste raises issues about device malfunction, the possibility of infection transmission, and an ethical dilemma of a lack of patient consent to use such devices in their treatment.
Conclusion
More widespread use of the technique of recycling medical equipment, such as robust cutting tools and laparoscopic that are generally discarded after a single-use, could save hospitals hundreds of millions while also reducing waste at medical facilities.
Additionally, purchasing recyclable products should be a primary goal. Doing this will help decrease medical waste.
Medical waste and Ways of Recycling It
Healthcare waste can is generally divided into non-hazardous hazardous materials categories. Then, it is mostly recycled through:
● Autoclaves
● Chemical treatment
● microwave irradiation
Types of medical recycling
There are three forms of medical waste recycling. These include:
● Third-party recycling
● in-house recycling (by hospitals and labs)
● Non-compliant recycling (by small clinics).
A third-party recycling plant must be able to obtain a consistent supply of undamaged, used medical devices and then recycle them at a cost that allows them to sell at a lower cost than that of a new device.
The business models of in-house recycling differ from third-party providers since they generally use devices they have purchased themselves, and they intend them for their own use.
Concerns About Recycling Medical Waste
Conclusion
More widespread use of the technique of recycling medical equipment, such as robust cutting tools and laparoscopic that are generally discarded after a single-use, could save hospitals hundreds of millions while also reducing waste at medical facilities.
Additionally, purchasing recyclable products should be a primary goal. Doing this will help decrease medical waste.