Bio-hazardous waste disposal Broward refers to the disposal of infectious waste generated by health care facilities, most notably hospitals. This waste contains materials that are either known to be infectious, or for which there is a very good chance that they are infected. That can include blood and other body fluids, human or animal body parts, organs and tissue, blood-contaminated materials and items, laboratory waste such as culture dishes and more.
However, one type of hospital waste deserves a great level of attention when it comes to bio-hazardous waste disposal and that is sharps waste. Sharps waste includes needles, syringes, scalpels, razor blades and other medical instruments used by medical workers (doctors, nurses or surgeons) to lacerate or pierce the human skin, as well as items such as broken glass.
Two things make sharps dangerous and their bio-hazardous waste disposal a must. Number one is the fact that a person handling them can get physically injured if he or she is not careful enough. The other problem is far more significant as by injuring a person, infected needles and other sharps can transmit a dangerous blood-borne disease, such as Hepatitis B or C, or even HIV. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to discard sharps promptly after using them in a special sharps container.
Health care facilities are not the only place where bio-hazardous waste disposal is necessary. There are more and more instances of people using needles and such at their home for treating ailments such as diabetes. Household medical waste disposal is still not strictly regulated, but that does not mean it should be neglected. Those generating this type of waste must make sure to do what is in their power to properly discard the bio-hazardous waste they produce, especially if they suffer from a blood-transmitting disease like the three we mentioned a little earlier.
But what can an individual do when it comes to bio-hazardous waste disposal if there are no legislations to guide them? Here are a few tips for handling biohazardous waste that can help if you follow them:
• Always use hard plastic containers to hold your sharps. Sharps containers can be purchased in local pharmacies, medical or tattoo supply stores and even online, but if you still can’t find a suitable one, maybe you can make one on your own. All you need is a receptacle such as a bleach bottle, a sticker with a biohazard sign on it and a permanent marker to write “biohazardous waste” on it and you have a sharps container ready to be used.
• Never dispose of your medical waste together where your kitchen or household waste is. Infectious and hazardous waste does not belong in the trash can. Keep it separated.
• Store your sharps container somewhere safe. It has to be away from children’s reach.
• Contact the nearby clinic, fire station, health care department or landfill to check if they accept sharps containers. One of them is bound to do so.
• Sign in for a needle exchange program
• Apply for a mail-back sharps disposal program. How it works is that the medical waste disposal company sends you an envelope (with the return address) in which your sharps container is. You use the container until it is ¾ full (never completely fill the sharps container) and then send it back in the same envelope and to the same address for them to take care of it.
Not just those who are paid to handle such waste but Bio-hazardous waste disposal Broward is a responsibility for all of us!
