SA dumps 45 000 tonnes of medical waste annually
A report by A-Thermal highlights that South Africa produces 45,000 tonnes of medical waste annually, much of which is recyclable plastic that is currently incinerated due to contamination concerns. Hospitals face significant logistical hurdles in separating and recycling these materials safely.
Why it matters
The high volume of medical waste presents both an environmental challenge and an opportunity for better waste management practices in the healthcare sector.
At least 45 000 tonnes of healthcare waste are produced annually in this country, much of it being disposable plastic products, and while a percentage of these are actually suitable for recycling if they’re uncontaminated, setting up recycling programmes in a hospital presents several challenges, reports BusinessTech .
This is according to a recent report from A-Thermal , a local company that specialises in the treatment of healthcare risk waste, which showed that in Gauteng, 79% of surveyed healthcare facilities have formal waste management plans, but only only 20.5% of these facilities have active strategies in place to minimise waste at the source.
As a result, large quantities of valuable medical-grade plastics are frequently discarded, which, the company said, can be recycled, provided they remain free from biological contamination.
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