Hospital inspections – what is the risk of infection?
A watchdog’s inspection of the West Suffolk Hospital has found it is meeting essential standards, but has suggested some improvements are made. They found that the hospital was compliant, but […]
clinical waste disposal
Ireland cleans up another illegal dump
Lawyers representing Wicklow County Council have informed the High Court of the council’s intention to begin the clean up of a large illegal dump in West Wicklow. The dump, at […]
Public sector services dispute and clinical waste collections
The public sector service industrial action on Wednesday will disrupt many services. Waste collections will be included among these disruptions and where clinical waste collections from domestic premises and other […]
Managing Norovirus infection wastes
New guidelines are hot off the press regarding the management of Norovirus infection in acute and community health and social care settings. Those guidelines, prepared after collaboration between the British […]
Are old ideas the best?
Old ideas are often the best, and in the case of clinical waste treatment from sources at University College Hospital London that is undoubtedly true. Many laboratories produce vast quantities […]
Novel contraption for Vietnam clinical wastes
A clinical waste incinerator built by a local farmer may not be totally efficient and pollution free but it’s churning through waste that was otherwise dangerous and time consuming to […]
What made Milwaukee famous?
Well, the song was good, but the Schlitz beer that made Milwaukee famous was undoubtedly preferable to a day spent on Milwaukees Lake Michigan beaches! Environmental groups report, once again, substantial […]
Tissue waste disposal
More on the case of the widow of a US army soldier who died in combat and from whom some body parts once recovered after the incident and from immediate […]
Hospital closures – need for care in safe waste disposal and site clearance
Hospital closures have been a common feature over the last 10-15 years and there will be more to come in the years ahead In addition to wholesale closures, closure of […]
“Hospital incinerator contaminates patients”
A Namibian news report tells that “every morning a huge cloud of black smoke soars from the chimneys of a small corrugated iron building next to the Katutura State Hospital […]
Wide variation in clinical waste management practice
In the UN Report of the Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, […]
Needle-free vaccinations
The use of syringes for vaccination is set to decline, affecting also the volume of sharps waste as work continues on alternate delivery systems for common vaccines. Some oral products […]
US sending its hospital waste to other countries?
A news bulletin reports that Brazil recently received two containers with 45 tons of illegal hospital waste from the US. Inspectors found bed sheets, dressing gowns, pillowcases, aprons, and diapers, along […]
New FDA sharps advice portal
The US FDA has launched a new web portal offering advice and guidance on the safe disposal of sharps. http://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal The site is aimed at small producers – diabetics, small clinics […]
Secure disposal of anaesthetic and related drug waste
It is almost invariable that, in the anaesthetic room, the operating theatre, in the Intensive Care and Neonatal Units, in A&E and occasionally in the Imaging Department, controlled drugs and […]
The horrors of war
Sadly, the world continues to witness war and conflict, and in consequence the death toll on every side continues to climb. Each one an individual, a father or son, a mother, […]
Mobile waste gasification units for military applications
Plasma arc gasification is an exciting technology that provides complete destruction of complex waste streams with massive volume reduction. The importance to military operations is substantial as waste management is […]
Acknowledging adverse health effects of military burn pits
Legislation introduced in the House would require the Veterans Affairs Department to create a register for veterans who have health problems they believe are related to exposure to open-air burn […]
Hepatitis B virus infection among medical waste handlers in Addis Ababa
Hepatitis B virus infection among medical waste handlers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is a real problem. In a detailed research paper from that country, the incidence of Hepatitis B was […]
Community pharma waste collection schemes
We make no apology for repeating on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum, yet again, the news of community hazardous household waste collections schemes operating in the US. Although there are some […]
Illegal medical waste dump sites cleared
“The four illegal medical waste dumping sites in and around Welkom have been cleared and rehabilitated, according to the National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report (NECER) 2010/11 released on Thursday. […]
Changing trends in community healthcare
There are changing trends in community healthcare driven largely, though not exclusively, by the need for cost saving. This places many more patients into the community, from early hospital discharge […]
US hospital saves $100,000 with ‘green’ practices
The Johns Hopkins University Hospital has saved $100,000 over a number of months by reducing its medical waste by 16 percent and by putting it in the correct containers. “Red […]
Clinical waste dumped – South Wales
Recycling bins outside the Red Lion pub in Hendy, Carmarthenshire, have been removed after clinical waste was dumped in them. Glass recycling bins were taken away by the council after […]
Drug & needle takeback
The Clinical Waste Discussion Forum generally supports the US concept of community collections of unwanted pharmaceuticals and related hazardous household wastes and, unique to US where no better system exists, […]
Placenta recipes
Disposal of placentas is a costly and troublesome undertaking. The numbers are vast. With around 720,000 live births per annum, and a full term placenta weighing around 0.45kg, that is […]
It’s all your fault!
Who is responsible for pharmaceutical wastes? For high costs of supply crippling NHS budgets? For drug residues in the environment? Well, if you live in NE Scotland, it’s probably yours. […]
Ill-advised in Ilminister?
The old women’s public loos in Ilminster look set to be given a new lease of life. South Somerset District Council, which owns the property, has spent several months trying to lease it […]
Norovirus risk for waste handlers
The Norovirus season will be upon us soon, and though much of the waste – mainly vomit bowls and the like – will go into the washer macerator, a great deal of […]
Pharmaceutical waste management
Whether the waste from pharmaceutical R&D, manufacturing, stocking and over-stocking in pharmacies, over-prescribing or patient non-compliance, there is a great need to minimise pharmaceutical waste. The combined aims must be […]