Medical waste not only represents a danger to human life, but also to the environment and animal life. Although the disposal and disposal of medical waste reduces the risks, indirect health risks can arise from the release of toxic pollutants or through the treatment or disposal of waste. Given this scenario, the three Rs - reduction, reuse, recycling, appear to be the right solution for managing medical waste. And for the most part a winning formula too.
Medical waste includes a myriad of medical products, such as infectious waste - cultures and stocks of infectious agents, etc., Anatomic waste - parts of the body and carcasses of animals, sharp waste - syringes, disposable scalpels, etc., Chemicals , pharmaceuticals, Radioactive material - Radioactive diagnostic material, Wastes with a high content of heavy metals, for example, broken mercury thermometers. In addition to these, used medical supplies, such as gloves, bandages, medical tapes, sanitary products, etc., are used. They are processed by waste treatment equipment and waste disposal equipment.
Although it may have taken some time to adapt to the three Rs, it seems that it is gaining momentum fairly quickly, as evidenced by the growth of the medical equipment reuse industry. Currently estimated at $ 4 billion, this predicts a significant annual growth rate of 12.9% by 2012. And most of the popularity is related to the cost savings from reuse.
As for the winning formula, this year in 2008 Frost & Sullivan at EcoGlove should be sufficiently conclusive.
The company managed to implement a system that changes the supply of gloves from the purchase of product style to a full service approach. The infrastructure for medical waste management equipment promises a high-quality glove, lower overall cost, better quality control, as well as addressing waste handling and over-use in healthcare.
For example, these gloves can be restored for reuse (up to 7 times). The H2O2 process cleans gloves, which helps reduce waste by as much as 75 percent, which reduces energy consumption and costs compared to a one-time disposable product.
It seems that during these periods of environmental problems, especially for medical waste management and cost reduction, where the back seat is often given quality to meet price pressures, only innovative solutions from industry and waste management companies, including R & R, will be the winners.
