Safe, correct and legal waste disposal is important for both homes and businesses, and when it comes to healthcare risk waste (HCRW), proper disposal is particularly crucial. Ensuring proper HCRW management and disposal is a must to protect the health of individuals, comply with health regulations, and prevent waste from ending up in a place where it can cause harm to the environment.
HCRW needs to be disposed of in a particular way as it is not the same as normal waste. Most importantly, it can’t be disposed of along with normal waste given its inherent risks and potential for the spread of infection. To ensure its proper disposal, businesses need to hire HCRW management services and cannot manage the waste themselves.
Let’s dive into all you need to know about HCRW and the management of it.
What is Healthcare Risk Waste?
Healthcare risk waste is any type of waste that poses a risk for the spread of infection and harmful bacteria due to where it is generated: namely, it is waste that comes from the treatment, immunisation, or diagnosis of both humans and animals. So although it is associated mostly with being produced in healthcare facilities like hospitals, it is also generated in various other industries as well.
Examples of HCRW
Used bandages and similar medical tools and items
Sharps
Items with bodily fluids on them
Medical gloves
Infectious waste
Used sanitary items in large amounts
Used nappies in large quantities
Sanitary waste and nappy waste, if generated in small quantities (such as in households), do not require specialised healthcare risk waste management, however, when it is produced by businesses in large quantities, it is necessary to hire HCRW management services to ensure safe disposal of the mass waste.
What Does the Proper Disposal of HCRW Look Like?
You may ask how HCRW management companies properly dispose of this dangerous waste – just how do you dispose of it correctly?
HCRW disposal providers begin by sorting the waste and then removing it from the site. They are equipped with safety gear and equipment that ensures they do not accidentally come into contact with harmful bacteria, and they place the waste in specialised containers and bins to contain and move it safely.
They then transport the waste to legal disposal sites, where it is incinerated according to local legal guidelines.
By doing the above, HCRW is prevented from spreading disease-causing pathogens and being a health or environmental risk. This is the correct management of HCRW.
Vogue Hygiene Services provides expert Healthcare Risk Waste Management services for all industries that require them and guarantees the safe and lawful disposal of HCRW.
As well this we provide general waste disposal services, refuse removal, and a wide range of cleaning and sanitation solutions for both homes and businesses.
We operate in Cape Town and Gauteng and utilise top-of-the-range equipment as well as environmentally friendly products and approaches in our services.
Contact us now for a free quote.
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