Green management of medical plastic waste

Seyede Zahra Hosseini¹ Mojgan Alighardashi²

1) Environmental Health Expert, Hazrat Rasool Akram Educational, Research and Therapeutic Complex, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Email:
2) Expert in charge of environmental health of Hazrat Rasool Akram educational, research and therapeutic complex, doctoral student in environmental health, Faculty of Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Email:

IOI Code : XDHG-HCDCG
Publication : Green Management of Wastes and Biotechnology(gmbtuma.ir/2nd)
Abstract :
    Plastic is one of the most important components of the medical waste, a large amount of its produced in the healthcare centers in the world, and only a small part of plastic is recycled. Management and recycling of medical plastic waste, while significantly reducing environmental pollution, simultaneously gains significant economic benefits. The main purpose of this review is to introduce the importance and green management of the medical plastic waste, current recycling methods and its limitations. In this study, related reseach literature were reviewed in scientific databases, the required information was collected and discussed. For this purpose, all the cases related to the current methods of the medical waste management, especially plastic waste, challenges and solutions that are being carried out in order to manage it. Reviewing the reseach literature, it was highligted that the plastic content of medical waste is more than 30%. The lack of comperhensive and clear regulation on identification and classification of medical waste, the lack of modern technologies in the management of the plastic waste and finally the excessive use of single-use devices as an infection control approach in healthcare centers to cause a large volume of plastic wastes are some of weakness.Therefore, a large volume waste introduce to landfill. The best way to control the effects of the medical waste is reduce, reuse and finally recycle in a circular cycle so that only non-recyclable and unusable waste is transferred to landfills. To address the governments should introduce very clear and standard definitions of the medical waste and supervise its correct implementation.

Keywords : medical phastic waste green management recycle healthcare