For waste management - Case Study Example

Waste was collected in pits in many areas of the world so that the people could remain hygienic and also reduce the rate of mortality among the population. (Bilitewski, Hardtle and Marek, 1997, p. 1) Medical waste is mainly produced in hospitals where it is mostly considered infectious but in most cases not all of it is. The medical wastes include cultures and stocks of infectious agents; pathological wastes and also sharp objects such as needles and scalpels as well as body parts. (Brunner, 1996, p. 6) The amount of Medical waste generated in the world is difficult to tell since for example the amount of this waste that is generated in the US is not even known and the figure cannot even be estimated.

Different reports estimate different figures based on how they calculate it. Most medical waste goes into the incinerators which are mainly used for pathological and infectious waste but this is a problem because the emissions from these incinerators are not managed, (Dutta, 2002, p. 259) The waste that is generated in the hospitals will need to be reduced through pretreatment which will help lower the quantity at the time for disposal. They will also need to be separated depending on their source and type to ease the process of managing it after that.

Due to the increased cost of incineration in the recent years, non-incineration methods will greatly cut the cost of this form of disposal if they are employed. This will also reduce the emissions that come from these incinerators. Methods that are cost effective like autoclaving, chemical disinfection and compaction can be used towards this cause. Since incineration is the primary method for treating medical waste and this is likely to remain so, pollution control equipment that is more advanced should be included to be a standard part of the incinerator design.

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