Medical waste
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Medical waste, also known as clinical waste, normally refers to waste products that cannot be considered general waste, produced from healthcare premises, such as hospitals.

Disposal of this waste is an environmental concern, as many medical wastes are classified as infectious or biohazardous and can lead to the spread of infectious disease. Examples of infectious waste include blood, potentially contaminated "sharps" such as needles and scalpels, and identifiable body parts. Infectious waste is often incinerated, and is usually sterilized if it is to be placed in a landfill. Additionally, medical premises produce a variety of waste hazardous chemicals, including radioactive materials. While such wastes are normally not infectious, they may be classified as hazardous wastes, and require proper disposal.

In Europe, wastes are defined by their European Waste Catalogue (EWC) Codes. EWC Codes are 6 digits long, with the first two digits defining the over-arching category of waste, the next two defining the sub-category, and the last two defining the precise waste stream. Clinical waste comes under the "18" codes, for example: "18 01 01" corresponds to healthcare waste (18), from humans (01), that is sharp and not infectious (01).

In the UK, clinical waste and the way it is to be handled is closely regulated. Applicable legislation includes the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Part II), Waste Management Licencing Regulations 1994, and the Hazardous Waste Regulations (England & Wales) 2005, as well as the Special Waste Regulations in Scotland.

• Ace Waste Disposal - Medical industrial waste incineration facility on the Australian east coast with continuous 24 hour monitoring by Queensland EPA.
• Balcan - Manufactures the Needle Destructor, a device for the safe desruction of hypodermic needles.
• Bio Waste LLC - Bio Waste LLC provides service to hospitals, health clinics, laboratories, nursing homes, physicians, dentists, industrial clinics, veterinarians , schools & universities, and all other regulated medical waste generators throughout Southern New England.
• Bio-Hazard Response Team - Services include crime scene clean-up and disposal of medical waste.
• Biomed Recovery and Disposal - A transporter of biomedical waste and a distributor of biomedical waste containers.
• Bio-Recovery Corp. - Specializes in the cleaning and abatement of crime, death and all biohazardous scenes.
• Bioservices Group Inc. - Company specializes in medical waste management solutions.
• Bondtech Corporation - Designs and manufactures autoclave systems for infectious medical waste, aerospace composites, rubber vulcanizing, and wood treatment.
• Clean-Pro Industries, Inc. - Offering products and services for hazardous medical waste solidification, indoor air purification, smoke odor counteracting, odor removal, building cleaning, janitorial services, and crime scene cleanup.
• Dispo-Med - Manufactures a leak proof, puncture resistant polypropylene container designed to collect, store and dispose of medical sharps, bio-hazards.
• Ecodas - Sterilization of clinical and medical waste.
• Ecolotec Medical Waste Handling - Offers technology for conversion of regulated medical waste, including pathological, infectious red bag waste, into ordinary municipal solid waste.
• Environmental Waste International - Offers a patented reverse polymerization process sterilizes and reduces medical waste to a landfillable residue.
• GRP Medical Services - Supplier of infectious waste disposal supplies and services: sharps containers, mail-back sharps disposal, and medical waste disposal.
• Kendall and Son Ltd. - Distributor of bio-hazard clean up kits.
• Mark-Costello Co. - Waste Systems Division - Manufacture and supplier of medical waste sterilization systems.
• Med Waste Group - Medical and pharmaceutical waste management specializing in processing and incineration technologies, as well as the provision of a "reusable" sharps containment and management system.
• Medical Waste Services of America, LLC - Services include the collection, treatment and disposal of medical waste.
• OBF Technologies - Provides products for biohazardous and hazardous fluid management.
• Omni Ajax - Manufactures products for the control and treatment of hazardous and biohazardous spills.
• Red Alert Crime Scene and Bio-hazardous Cleaning - Services include crime and trauma clean up, and infectious waste removal. Located in Houston, Texas.
• Sanipak - Manufacturer of medical waste treatment technology
• Sanitec Inc. - Offers medical waste treatment technologies, including a microwave disinfection system.
• Stericycle - Company specialized in managing medical waste.
• Sterile Technology Industries, Inc. - Offers a continuous feed autoclave sterilization system for regulated medical waste, infectious waste and clinical waste.
• Steritech - Medical waste treatment system and device for management of infectious waste and sharps in hospitals and clinics.
• Sure-Way Systems, Inc. - A medical waste disposal service featuring reusable sharps containers. Provides links to several Federal regulatory agencies related to medical waste.
• Tempico, Inc - Manufacturer of the Rotoclave for disposal and sterilization of medical waste.
• Trauma Clean - Perth, Australia company specializing in removal of biological and medical waste.
• Trauma-Scene Cleanup Service - Provides for the disposal and disinfection of biohazardous waste.
• Vyleater Vial Crushers - Product crushes small glass research or sample vials and separates the liquid contents using a vibratory conveyor. Includes company profile and product specifications.
• Waste Reduction, Inc. - Provides patented Alkaline Hydrolysis Tissue Digestion systems to sterilize and reduce anatomic and pathologic waste, carcasses, and cadavers.
• XMED Medical Waste Disposal - XMED provides reliable, high quality medical waste disposal services for hospitals and a variety of other medical clients.
• Zavin - Processor of health care waste and related types of hazardous waste in the Netherlands.