Hazardous Waste Collection, Treatment, & Disposal

Not all waste is created equal.

Improperly disposing of medical & hazardous waste is not only against the law, but it is dangerous! In the event of emergencies impacting healthcare facilities, Bahamas Waste can create an effective management plan that offers employee education and training while coordinating a system of response, complete with on site responders. We can guide you on how to properly dispose of hazardous waste, including infectious waste, through methods such as our automated incineration process, which uses a dual chamber to perform destructive oxidation; or our autoclave sterilization process, which uses a combination of heat and a pressure vacuum.

Types of Medical Waste

Pathological & Anatomical Waste

This refers to waste that includes body parts, organs, or human tissues that were removed during a surgery, trauma, autopsy, birth, research, or any other process which is intended for disposal.  More specifically, pathological waste refers to waste that was examined by a laboratory to make a diagnosis or understand the nature of a disease, while anatomical waste refers to readily identifiable body parts such as limbs.

Blood & blood products, & Other Potential Infectious Materials

This refers to waste that includes human blood, its components, and products derived from blood, such as serum and plasma.  Further to this point, there are other potentially infectious materials that include, but are not limited, to semen, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, pericardial fluid, urine, and all body fluid contaminated with blood that are allotted into this category of biohazardous waste.

Microbiological Waste

In general terms, this refers to waste comprised of cultures and stocks of infectious agents, and associated microorganisms and biologicals. Generally, this waste is generated by the lab of a healthcare institution.   Microbiological waste that is also considered a ‘sharp,’ should be managed foremost as a ‘sharp’ (see below).

Sharps

“Sharps” is a general term applied to objects that can cut or puncture the skin, examples include: needles, pipettes, broken tubes and vials, and scalpel blades.  These items pose such a serious risk because of the potential to deliver infectious agents directly into the blood stream.  More than any other type of biohazardous waste, these items must be handled with due care and attention.