Hospital waste can be categorized as infectious or noninfectious. Infectious waste includes human animal or biological waste and any items that may be contaminated with pathogens. Noninfectious waste includes toxic chemicals, cytotoxic drugs, and radioactive, flammable, and explosive waste. The treatment methods include steam sterilization, incineration, thermal inactivation, gas/vapor sterilization, chemical disinfection, and sterilization by irradiation. Each hospital should develop an infectious waste management plan that provides for (1) designation of the waste that should be managed as infectious, (2) segregation of infectious waste from the noninfectious waste, (3) packaging, (4) storage, (5)treatment, (6) disposal, (7) contingency measures for emergency situations, and management, hospital waste (8) staff training.
Keywords: Infectious waste, waste treatment, hospital waste
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