Study on hospital waste management in Dhaka city

Abstract

Proper and safe management of hospital waste is recognized worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Union of European Communities and numerous Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) have emphasized the need to handle and dispose of hospital waste from the health care sector. Traditionally hospital waste has found its way into the stream of household waste and has considered a natural part of this and as long it did not appear in high concentrations, it did not cause more problems than may other components of household waste. In recent years however, increased awareness risks of HIV or hepatitis infection as well as attend to pay more attention to occupational safety have turned the focus on potential hazards associated with handling of waste containing. Presently, hospital waste in Dhaka City is being handled like any other type of waste placed in concrete enclosures/container or simply dumped on the street, from where it is loaded manually on garbage trucks by street sweepers and disposed of at the landfill. Both in the street and at the landfill, the hospital waste is subject to scavenging. Due to the character of the waste, this way of handling the waste may cause health hazards to the people involved in the handling, both the street sweepers and the scavengers cause damage to the environment. The main objective of the study was: i) To assess the existing hospital waste management of Dhaka City and; ii) To assess the different technological options for the improvement of the present situation. Physical surveys have been conducted at few selected hospitals of Dhaka City for quantification of non - hazardous and hazardous wastes. In this research generation rate of hospital wastes and composition of waste have been determined. Cost analysis and comparison of different technological options have been assessed and the suitable technologies according to the condition of Dhaka City have been recommended. It has been found from the study that the incineration system is the suitable option considering performance and operating cost and thus appropriates for Dhaka City. However, the system should be maintained properly with appropriate air pollution control apparatus/device. The application of this research will be contribute to provide appropriate guidelines for the future planning and design of Hospital Waste Management in Dhaka City.