The Most Common Waste You See in Hospitals

Hospitals produce a lot of waste on a regular basis. This waste mainly comes from hospital materials used to treat patients as well as those that are used to contain medicines and chemicals.

That said, there are several types of waste in any medical facility. However, some are just way too common than others, and that’s what we’re going to talk about.

Without further ado, here are the most common types of waste you can see in hospitals:

This is a type of waste that can pose a risk of infection if not handled properly. A few good examples include sharps, needles, PPE, bandages, and dressings. This type of waste should be disposed of properly to prevent the risk of spreading contamination and infection.

Probably the most common type in hospitals, domestic waste isn’t hazardous. In general, it’s similar to waste from households, so it can be disposed of in landfills or even recycled without any major issues.

Albeit not hazardous, anatomical waste should be disposed of properly in the right waste stream due to its sensitive nature. It involves waste materials from certain body parts which can be alarming if discovered in landfill sites.

Another type of non-infectious waste, offensive waste is anything that is generally not hazardous but should be disposed of properly due to its unpleasant nature. This includes materials like catheter bags, maternity waste, nappies, PPE, and the like.

There are a few other types of hospital waste, but the rest aren’t as common as the ones we’ve mentioned above.