As concerns about waste management grow in a world impacted by climate change and infectious disease, you may have wondered how the health industry contributes to the global waste crisis. While San Diego Medical Waste is at the front-line of environmentally conscious practices in biohazardous waste disposal, you may still be asking yourself. Just how much waste is produced by mortuaries, hospitals, dentist offices, animal research testing labs, blood banks, nursing homes, research centers, and other healthcare facilities?
The Down and Dirty Facts
In 2018 The World Health Organization reported some research about health-care waste. Here’s what they found:
16 billion injections are administered globally every year
85% of healthcare waste is non-hazardous
The other 15% of generated waste is hazardous material that can be infectious and toxic
High-income countries generate over 1 pound of hazardous waste per hospital bed every day
Improper disposal of hazardous waste in landfills leads to the contamination of drinking water, surface water, and groundwater
A Healthier Tomorrow
Biohazardous waste is unavoidable. Fortunately, there are best practices to ensure the safety of our communities, healthcare workers, and globe in regards to the treatment, handling, and disposal of this waste. San Diego Medical Waste is committed to meeting every need of your facilities’ medical waste requirements.
For more information about proper medical waste disposal, contact San Diego Medical Waste Services, LLC, for more information: info@sdmedwaste.com or 619-990-4604.