You will come across several waste removal companies but those concerning with medical waste disposal, has to follow some set regulations and strategies regarding such process. There are several hospitals as well as laboratories that have the necessary resources to implement waste management and treatment processes internally.
This is to ensure that the volume of the medical waste is reduced in general and also to decontaminate certain infectious waste products. This is necessary to dispose it of as non-infectious.
For others who do not have such facility can rely on the reputed and professional waste management companies that offer various types of services and follows several methods to dispose medical wastes.
The On-Site Treatment
Waste removal companies perform autoclaving where thermal treatment is used for the sharps and specific types of infectious wastes. An autoclave is typically like a large pressure cooker. This uses high temperature and steam that penetrate into all materials deeply to kill any microorganism present in it.
You will also need to sterilize but that will largely depend on the type and amount of waste. You can also purchase an appropriately sized autoclave for your hospital or clinic and use it as per your requirement. The size of such appliances ranges from 100 to 4,000+ liters in volume that will enable you to manage your medical waste in bulk.
Chemical Treatment Process
According to Dallas Medical Waste Disposal this process is usually used for the liquid waste that needs to be deactivated. This is an onsite treatment process specially designed to decontaminate instead of packaging and sending them to another facility far away. Since liquids can spill easily it is best to treat them close to the generation site. Chemical treatment is also applicable to some non-liquid infectious wastes as well. Such wastes are required to be shredded first so that every portion of the medical waste is exposed to the chemical used. The type of chemical used will depend on the type of the waste and includes sodium hydroxide, calcium oxide and chlorine.
The Microwave Treatment
This treatment of medical waste is very much similar to the autoclave process that also uses heat for decontamination of the medical waste products. Typically and effectively used for products that are not solid or 100% dry, the moisture in the waste allows deeper penetration of the heat. The steam created in the process further sterilizes the waste product. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the medical waste is properly shredded and mixed with water as well before microwaving. Shredding also reduces the volume of the waste that makes it easy to landfill.
Few Off-Site Methods
There are few off-site methods of medical disposal process as well. It is typically used for pharmaceutical and pathological waste as per the requirement of the state. Incineration of medical waste must be performed in a controlled environment so that complete combustion is facilitated along with minimizing any negative side effects. Land disposal is also done for shredded and treated and decontaminated waste products that can also be used for hazardous waste materials.