Whether or not you’ve read our prior articles on managing biomedical waste, you undoubtedly already know that the proper disposal of this trash must be done without hurting the environment or putting the safety of patients or medical personnel in jeopardy. The type of medical waste you need to discard greatly influences the sterilising and waste management Malaysia.
The main purpose of colour coding is to make it simple to identify between the various kinds of biological waste by classifying them into groups according to a single colour. Therefore, these really are the fundamentals if you want your business to have an effective waste management system. You must be aware of the kind of materials you need to discard in order to dispose of potentially hazardous waste responsibly.
Consequently, the topic of our upcoming post will be colour coding for biological waste management. Learn more by continuing to read!
So why is colour coding for biomedical waste necessary?
Color coding isn’t just for your convenience; it also symbolises the fundamental idea that garbage doesn’t all end up in the same location. Different waste types require different handling techniques. Just consider the need to segregate hazardous medical chemical waste from other wastes in order to safely process it. Nowadays, there are even more cutting-edge and useful solutions to handle biomedical waste management on-site, such as autoclaves, integrated sterilisers, and medical waste shredders. Hazardous medical waste is normally treated by incineration rather than sending to a landfill.
To guarantee that all types of medical waste are properly disposed of, any company that generates biomedical waste must clearly mark bins with colour coding.
To comprehend colour coding used in biomedical waste management…
You would need to be conversant with the many categories of (bio)medical waste, of course. The waste categories that can be classified as biomedical vary slightly depending on the sources you consult, but in general, they are as follows:
- Splinter waste
This also applies to metals and pretty much anything else with a “sharp” edge that could pierce, cut, or otherwise damage inappropriate containers (thus the phrase “sharps” trash”). This group includes scalpels, needles, and blades. These tools are regarded as hazardous medical waste because of the environment in which they are employed.
- Contaminated waste (also known as human anatomical waste)
Basically anything that comes from the human body, including tissues, organs, and body parts.
- Contaminated or infectious biomedical waste
Any instrument, such as bandages, dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs, etc., that has come into touch with blood or other bodily fluids.
- Contaminated biomedical waste that can still be recycled
This comprises trash produced from single-use medical supplies such catheters, bottles, tubing, intravenous tubes, syringes (WITHOUT needles), or gloves.
- Waste medical chemicals
any compounds used in the manufacturing of disinfectants. This also applies to liquid medical waste with chemicals (e.g. infected secretions, lab liquids, discarded Formalin).
- Waste from medical laboratories (e.g. microbiology, biotechnology)
This category includes human and animal cells used in laboratory research, blood bags, vaccinations, poisons, and lab specimens of microbes.
- Waste from old or discarded medications or drugs
This is what we typically refer to as pharmaceutical waste, primarily made up of antibiotics and cytotoxic medications (as well as anything that may have come into contact with said drugs).
Management of biomedical waste should be done using yellow, red, white, and blue bins.
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YELLOW
- Contaminated waste
- Contaminated (pathogenic) waste
- Waste medical chemicals
- Medical lab waste
- Pharmaceutical waste (discontinued or outdated pharmaceuticals and medications)
The majority of biological waste falls under this color-coding system. However, you will need to employ various collection containers and disposal techniques depending on how hazardous the trash is thought to be. The majority can be collected in yellow containers or non-chlorinated plastic bags, but you will require a different collecting mechanism for liquid chemical medical waste. Although autoclaves are among the greatest equipment now on the market for on-site sterilisation, you will also require a medical waste shredder to ensure the safe disposal of hazardous medical waste (such soiled waste).
2. RED
- hazardous waste (recyclable)
The list is far shorter than it was for the prior category, as you can see. For waste collection, red-colored, non-chlorinated plastic bags or containers will work. Your best (and most practical) option for getting rid of such medical hazardous waste is to get an on-site steriliser and medical waste shredder (or ISS for short).
3. WHITE (or translucent)
- Splinter waste
You will require containers that are tamper, puncture, and leak proof given the nature of this hazardous medical waste. You’ll require a medical waste shredder for disposal, which is the same as it is for garbage falling under the red category.
4. BLUE
- Waste medical glassware
Depending on the sources you consult, you might not even locate this kind of container because some literature classifies them under the same heading as sharps waste because they can also cause cut and puncture wounds. Autoclaving may be sufficient to sterilise the waste and prepare it for safe disposal, albeit pharmaceutical vials and ampoules aren’t always as dangerous as sharps waste.
What further advantages come with color-coding biomedical waste management, then?
Sorting medical waste based on colour is essentially segregation. Segregation allows you to:
– Reduce the amount of biomedical waste that requires special processing.
– Stop using sharps or other waste materials for illicit purposes.
– After properly steam sterilising medical waste, give them additional options to recycle it.
In addition to safeguarding the environment, you also spare yourself the hassle of paying a fine for inappropriate biomedical waste management and keep your workplace safe. Not to mention the enhancement of your business’s reputation.
The process of color-coding biomedical waste is just the beginning of proper treatment and disposal.
Are you a little terrified by the idea of dealing with medical waste disposal? Color coding is just the beginning. The website of Celitron is undoubtedly the best place to check if you want to learn more about the most cutting-edge sterilisation and removal tools. The most efficient way to treat the majority of biomedical waste types is to autoclave them. The high-pressure, high-temperature steam used in autoclaves, sometimes referred to as steam sterilisers, may kill even heat-resistant bacteria and germs that are present in medical waste and waste products. This is made possible by the autoclaves made by Celitron, which operate at temperatures considerably above 100 degrees Celsius. You have a choice of two sizes of autoclaves: medium autoclaves like the Azteca AC series or big autoclaves like the Azteca A series, depending on the size of your medical institution and the volume of waste you need to treat. There are several capacity options available for both categories, therefore there are many options! For more medical waste management guideline, check out with “Jabatan Kementerian Alam Sekitar dan Air“.
However, steam sterilization alone is insufficient to destroy the most dangerous medical waste, such as sharps; high-power shredding is also required. Because of this, we created the ISS (Integrated Sterilizer and Shredder), a device that can accomplish both! It not only decreases the amount of waste by using its strong crushing blades but also increases the effectiveness of steam sterilizing.
Last but not least, if you found this article useful, share this article with your friends who might be interested in this topic as well. There are more fascinating articles worth checking out at Key Posting. Enjoy reading, Ciao!
