Procedures

Procedures
Instructions

For Medical Waste Storage, Handling and Transportation

Please do not damage the box container given for use to store medical waste by rough handling. The transporters are prohibited, by regulations, from picking up damaged containers from the generators.

Store all the sharps, needles and syringes in the sharps containers.

Do not discard sharps in the box containers. Sharps containers, after fill-up, must be placed in the box containers.

Do not throw trash in the box container. It is only for the storage of medical waste.

Chemotherapy and pathological waste (if any) must be stored in a separate container clearly labeled. Please inform your transporter if you have chemotherapy or pathological waste to provide separate containers.

Always discard waste into the red infectious liner bag.

Please do not throw waste around the bag as the box would get soiled and subsequently damaged. Make sure the bag is always in place.

Do not discard any radio-active waste or other chemical waste in the containers ear-marked for medical waste.

If waste are mainly liquid, please use sufficient absorbent material to absorb the liquid waste.

After fill-up, please place the liner iWnside and cover the box containers using the top flaps exposing the handle.

Biomedical wastes categories and their segregation, collection, treatment, processing and disposal options

Category	Type of Waste	Type of Bag or Container to be used	Treatment and disposal options
Yellow	(a) Human Anatomical Waste : Human tissues, organs, body parts and fetus below the viability period (as per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971, amended from time to time).	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags	Incineration or Plasma Pyrolysis or deep burial
	(b) Animal Anatomical Waste : Experimental animal carcasses, body parts, organs, tissues, including the waste generated from animals used in experiments or testing in veterinary hospitals or colleges or animal houses.	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags	Incineration or Plasma Pyrolysis or deep burial
	(c) Soiled Waste : Items contaminated with blood, body fluids like dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs and bags containing residual or discarded blood and blood components.		Incineration or Plasma Pyrolysis or deep burial In absence of above facilities, autoclaving or micro-waving/ hydroclaving followed by shredding or mutilation or combination of sterilization and shredding. Treated waste to be sent for energy recovery
	(d) Expired or Discarded Medicines : Pharmaceutical waste like antibiotics , cytotoxic drugs including all items contaminated with cytotoxic drugs along with glass or plastic ampoules, vials etc.	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags	Expired `cytotoxic drugs and items contaminated with cytotoxic drugs to be returned back to the manufacturer or supplier for incineration at temperature >1200 0C or to common bio-medical waste treatment facility or hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility for incineration at >12000C Or Encapsulation or Plasma Pyrolysis at >12000C. All other discarded medicines shall be either sent back to manufacturer or disposed by incineration.
	(e) Chemical Waste : Chemicals used in production of biological and used or discarded disinfectants.	Yellow coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags	Disposed of by incineration or Plasma Pyrolysis or Encapsulation in hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility.
	(f) Chemical Liquid Waste : Liquid waste generated due to use of chemicals in production of biological and used or discarded disinfectants, Silver X-ray film developing liquid, discarded Formalin, infected secretions, aspirated body fluids, liquid from laboratories and floor washings, cleaning, house-keeping and disinfecting activities etc.	Separate collection system leading to effluent treatment system	After resource recovery, the chemical liquid waste shall be pre-treated before mixing with other wastewater. The combined discharge shall conform to the discharge norms given in Schedule- III.
	(g) Discarded linen, mattresses, beddings contaminated with blood or body fluid.	Non-chlorinated yellow plastic bags or suitable packing material	Non- chlorinated chemical disinfection followed by incineration or Plazma Pyrolysis or for energy recovery. In absence of above facilities, shredding or mutilation or combination of sterilization and shredding. Treated waste to be sent for energy recovery or Incineration or Plazma Pyrolysis.
	(h) Microbiology, Biotechnology and other clinical laboratory waste : Blood bags, Laboratory cultures, stocks or specimens of microorganisms, live or attenuated vaccines, human and animal cell cultures used in research, industrial laboratories, production of biological, residual toxins, dishes and devices used for cultures.	Autoclave safe plastic bags or containers	Pre-treat to sterilize with non chlorinated chemicals on-site as per National AIDS Control Organisation or World Health Organisation guidelines thereafter for Incineration.
Red	Contaminated Waste (Recyclable) (a) Wastes generated from disposable items such as tubing, bottles, intravenous tubes and sets, catheters, urine bags, syringes (without needles and fixed needle syringes) and vaccutainers with their needles cut) and gloves.	Red coloured non-chlorinated plastic bags or containers	Autoclaving or micro-waving/ hydroclaving followed by shredding or mutilation or combination of sterilization and shredding. Treated waste to be sent to registered or authorized recyclers or for energy recovery or plastics to diesel or fuel oil or for road making, whichever is possible. Plastic waste should not be sent to landfill sites.
White	(Translucent Waste sharps including Metals : Needles, syringes with fixed needles, needles from needle tip cutter or burner, scalpels, blades, or any other contaminated sharp object that may cause puncture and cuts. This includes both used, discarded and contaminated metal sharps	Puncture proof, Leak proof, tamper proof containers	Autoclaving or Dry Heat Sterilization followed by shredding or mutilation or encapsulation in metal container or cement concrete; combination of shredding cum autoclaving; and sent for final disposal to iron foundries (having consent to operate from the State Pollution Control Boards or Pollution Control Committees) or sanitary landfill or designated concrete waste sharp pit
Blue	(a) Glassware : Broken or discarded and contaminated glass including medicine vials and ampoules except those contaminated with cytotoxic wastes	Cardboard boxes with blue colored marking	Disinfection (by soaking the washed glass waste after cleaning with detergent and Sodium Hypochlorite treatment) or through autoclaving or microwaving or hydroclaving and then sent for recycling.
Blue	(b) Metallic Body Implants	Cardboard boxes with blue colored marking

The Medical Waste Management Act defines “medical waste” as biohazardous or sharps waste and waste which is generated or produced as a result of the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings/animals, research pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings/animals, production/testing of biologicals, or the accumulation of properly contained home-generated sharps waste. Environmental Health and Safety provides the following guidelines for medical waste:

Do not overfill biohazard container: Biohazard disposal containers must have sufficient room to be able to close the flaps on the top of the box and seal with packing tape. DOT regulations require that our containers are completely sealed for transport on public roads.
Keep your containers in a safe but convenient location: Biohazard disposal containers should be kept out of the reach of the general public, as required by regulation. However, keep in mind that drivers run a tight schedule, and pick up many stops each day. The easier it is for drivers to access your waste, the less time it takes to collect your waste, and helps to keep our prices low!
Use only APPROVED containers: Our drivers are only allowed to pick up waste that is stored in safe, approved containers. These include: our biohazard boxes for general waste; and approved sharps containers or approved chemotherapy containers for sharps waste.
Collection is your responsibility: In order to keep our prices low, we are only able to pick up waste that has been collected and stored in approved containers and placed in one location. We do not provide room-to-room collection services.
Do not overfill sharps containers: Sharps containers should never be overfilled. This will cause needles to fall out of the sharps containers. Your company will be liable for any injuries resulting from improperly disposed waste.
Tape sharps containers shut: Sharps containers must be taped shut to secure both the locked opening and the lid. This will help to ensure that no sharps will fall out of the containers during handling and transport. Your company will be liable for any injuries resulting from improper waste disposal.
Liquid: Do not place any liquid into the containers that have not been evaluated and documented by the customer as non-hazardous waste.