Anatomy of a clinical waste sector in turmoil
Materials Recycling World report that, as we know, the waste sector has hit the mainstream media headlines again – this time the specialist world of clinical waste services. A serious […]
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NHS waste backlog: Criminal probe launched
Few can have missed the generally lurid headlines concerning a ‘mountain of clinical wastes and human body parts’ that seem to have appeared in all news websites, TV news and […]
Sterilis device in use
The photocopier-size device can sterilize and grind up medical (clinical) waste including syringes and sharps containers to produce nontoxic garbage that ‘doesn’t require incineration’ or ‘other special treatment’. Innovator Jeff […]
Clinical waste treatment facility allowed at North Tyneside industrial estate
An application to convert an industrial unit within the North Tyneside industrial estate, previously a chilled food store, to a clinical waste management facility is approved by North Tyneside Council. […]
Company creates new heat resistant biohazard bags
One of the expectations of those processing clinical wastes by autoclave is that as load temperature rises the waste sack will disintegrate sufficient to allow steam to penetrate the entire […]
International shipments of untreated clinical wastes
There are many small island and otherwise isolated communities producing clinical wastes that must be shipped long distances and perhaps across national borders in order to reach a satisfactory treatment […]
Medical Waste Management Market by Sector, Service, Treatment Technology, Geography
Medical Waste Management Market by Sector, Service, Treatment Technology & Geography – Global Trends & Forecast to 2018 The medical waste management market is likely to grow reasonably in the […]
Rebuilding Sierra Leone’s health care begins with eco-friendly disposal of medical waste
A delegation from the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) celebrated the installation of an autoclave used for the safe disposal of medical waste at the […]
Thin air autoclaving
An excellent piece by Mario Finkiel and Maimon Asaraf, on the difficulties of installing, validating and operating a general and clinical waste autoclave high in the Andes mountains where the much […]
How Ebola strains West Africa’s infrastructure
Scientific American has an important and thoughtful piece concerning the problem of waste management in Ebola-affected regions. Reminding us that an Ebola patient produces up to 40 times more waste […]
Stericycle fined £500,000 for corporate manslaughter after autoclave explosion
To bring our earlier thread CCTV footage of Sterecycle explosion fully up to date, it was reported that Stericycle has been fined £500,000 after being found guilty of corporate manslaughter following the […]
HCWH global inventory of healthcare waste management technology suppliers
HCWH Releases New Global Inventory of Healthcare Waste Management Technology Suppliers To aid in the procurement of appropriate technologies, Health Care Without Harm first published an inventory of non-incineration healthcare […]
SRCL opens alternative treatment plant at Knowsley
SRCL has opened its eighth clinical waste alternative treatment (AT) site at Knowsley, near Liverpool. According to SRCL, the new AT plant has been specially designed to recover 100% of […]
Utah govenor signs medical waste incinerator bill
In an interesting approach to regulation and more generally the US move away from high temperature incineration of clinical and related wastes, Utah has given final approval to a measure […]
EA Consultation: Small clinical waste treatment units
The Environment Agency is consulting on “Small clinical waste treatment units: standard rules and risk assessment” We, the Environment Agency, have developed a new standard rules permit for small clinical waste […]
Albania trying hard to manage its clinical waste
It’s easy to ignore Albania. After its freedom from the tyranny of hard line communist rule and the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha, there isn’t much more to say. But Albania is a […]
First clinical waste treatment facility for Tibet
The first clinical waste centralized disposal centre in Tibet has recently been completed and put into trial operation in Lhoka Prefecture, ending the history of no clinical waste centralized disposal facilities […]
Radioactive clinical wastes
Surprisingly, few clinical waste treatment facilities maintain radiation monitors and alarm systems. Limited largely to incinerator feed systems – who wants a cloud of radioactive particles released to atmosphere? – […]
Solar autoclave development
The effective treatment of biohazardous clinical wastes in resource-poor regions is a huge problem. Open burning in a pit is environmentally unsound and polluting and will not make safe all […]
Patient confidentiality & recycling
The NHS is going green, slightly, in small, slow steps, but it IS going green. Many items are reused when it is safe to do so, with expensive disposables side lined […]
What does waste look like?
What does waste look like? Not a silly question, since waste takes all forms and descriptions are many and varied, with different individuals seeing waste in entirely different ways, as […]
‘Recova wrap’ recycling scheme for the NHS
It’s the bane of many waste treatment facilities. Blue spun (non-woven) polypropylene wrap often ties its way around the best of shredders causing many hold-ups and some equipment damage during […]
Scientists call to classify plastic waste as hazardous waste
“An international group of scientists, including the young Chelsea Rochman and Mark Anthony Browne from California, with the support of the veteran marine scientist Richard Thompson from the UK and a host of […]
Egypt needs 400 clinical waste incinerators
Do you manufacture low-cost robust clinical waste incinerators? Or indeed, do you provide autoclaves or other clinical waste processing technologies? If so, a ready market is waiting for you in Egypt. […]
Cement kiln engineered fuel patents and sharps PELLA-DRX™
This interesting patented technology is apparently now available for licensing worldwide to convert medical waste into fuel. Pelleted fuel can be used in cement kilns and other large users of industrial […]
Complaints over hospital’s waste plans
We have become used to complaints about commercial healthcare waste development plant plans, about the transport of clinical wastes on the highway, and about wastes dumped in the community, or […]
Autoclave for Jamaica
Jamaica’s capability to dispose of clinical (medical) waste has been significantly boosted, with the official opening of the National Medical Waste Management Plant on November 29. The facility in downtown […]
Alternatives to Xylene?
Xylene is a widely used chemical found in many laboratories including hospital labs. Though generally used in only small volume it can find its way into the clinical waste stream and […]
But is it art?
Recognise this? Yes? It’s a sack of clinical waste (medical waste) after autoclave sterilisation. But is it art? Well, yes it is. San Antonio artist Sarah Sudhoff continues her exploration […]
Hospital recycles operating room waste into park benches
A Brunswick, Maine, hospital is reported to be successfully recycling operating room waste into park benches. Mid Coast Hospital has launched a new recycling program that turns plastic waste from its […]