How Incinerators Help Hospitals Manage Waste
Waste disposal is one of the top concerns for hospitals. Beyond the typical garbage turned out—food scraps, paper, metal, and plastics—hospitals also produce hazardous materials that require incineration for disposal. Infectious waste goes in identifiable red bags or similar containers. Dressings, swabs, bed sheets, and patient garments may be non-infectious but are often past the point of laundering or reuse. Here’s how incinerators help hospitals manage waste.
Safety First
Fire and extreme heat are often the best, and sometimes only, way to ensure infectious waste can’t harm anyone. Used medical supplies that are not thoroughly destroyed can lead to further infections, now or in the far future. Luckily, incineration kills pathogens and reduces medical waste into harmless (and, as we’ll see later, useful) ash.
Keeping It Compact
Trash takes up space. Until we discover an affordable way to jettison our waste into the sun, we must store garbage in isolated places. However, waste management can cost a pretty penny. Even "safe" waste disposal requires people to collect it, compact it, transport it, and dispose of it in overflowing landfills. Incineration turns waste into a pile of ash that takes up less space in transportation vehicles and landfills.
Useful Waste
The ash from incineration doesn’t always have to end up in a landfill. We can actually use it in various construction projects. Medical waste ash can be used in road and highway creation, as bulk fill to raise ground levels, for lightweight blocks in buildings, and for pavement projects! Parlay your facility’s waste into profitable and creative alternatives.
Trash and Treasure
Hospitals safely dispose of medical waste by destroying generally useless waste while omitting recyclables. Metal from sharps and other tools has a higher melting point than most medical waste and is left behind after incineration. Recycling metal, plastics, and glass is a green practice that reflects well on your facility.
We’ve explored how incinerators help hospitals manage waste, pointing out just a few of the benefits. Explore all your options in waste disposal, but keep in mind that incineration is the best way to keep your patients, doctors, and community healthy.