The usual mantra of waste management – reduce, reuse, recycle – is infeasible for hospitals. Both Government and private hospitals face a growing amount of specialised waste that they need to handle and dispose of securely.

Data from a recently published study of Lucknow hospitals shows that on average, about 1-5 kg of waste are generated per bed daily. Other studies show that the bulk of the waste is non-medical, while medical waste averages to only 0.5-2 kg per bed per day.

Disposal service Medical waste is segregated into four categories, says H Yuvraj Gupta, Medical Administrator at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. The infectious content (such as tissue and blood), plastic material (like gloves), sharps (needles, syringes) and radioactive content are separated into different containers. In the past, large hospitals used to handle their own waste, typically by incinerating. But now, hospitals and laboratories have to sign up with local agencies which collect and dispose of waste. Such an agreement is mandatory for hospitals or laboratories to be accredited by global healthcare organisations, says a city-based medical practitioner.

The waste is collected by service providers and transported to facilities approved by the State’s pollution control boards outside city limits. The providers’ fee depends on both bed number and weight, with a minimum assured payment guarantee.

Mercury waste, from thermometers and blood pressure meters, is handled separately. Gupta, a dentist, says use of mercury in healthcare for dental filling is reducing. Likewise, hospitals are also gradually switching to digital meters. States such as Tamil Nadu have schemes to exchange mercury-containing apparatus for non-mercury equivalents.

As laws become stringent, the pharmaceutical industry is finding that its waste disposal costs are increasing. Lupin, for instance, says operating costs have increased four-fold in treating wastewater due to its complete recycling. The company generates an average of 2.8 lakh litres of wastewater a day and 1,700 tonnes of hazardous waste each month, says Alok Ghosh, President – Technical Operations, Lupin.

However, unlike hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry has found ways to profitably recover useful products from the waste they generate. For instance, Lupin recovers calcium sulphate from waste streams and sells this to the cement industry as raw material. “Most of the solvents used in our API facilities are recovered and reused in the process,” Ghosh says.

(With inputs from V Nalinakanthi)

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