Some fractions of clinical waste must be incinerated to make them safe and eliminate any possible hazard to health or to the environment.

Pharmaceutical waste is foremost among these fractions. In some countries, many countries, suitable incinerators are few and far between and solutions to safe disposal require some lateral thinking. So it is in Lebanon, where 5 tonnes of accumulated pharmaceutical waste is to be incinerated by cement kiln co-processing. If trials, with monitoring of emissions etc, are satisfactory, there is another 100 tones, including pharmaceutical manufacturing waste, to be processed.