EXPERIENCES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATED IN A LATIN AMERICAN HOSPITAL
Abstract
The inadequate management of hospital waste is not only dangerous to the environment but can also affect your workers. It is essential to manage the waste generated in hospitals to avoid public health problems and environmental risks. The main objective of this paper is to show the experience in the management of hazardous waste generated by a Latin American hospital located in Quibdó city (Colombia). The results show that the external management (collection/transport/treatment/final disposal) of all hazardous waste generated represents 0.56% of the annual operating budget. This activity is also equivalent to $3.81 USD/month per kg of hazardous waste generated and $185 USD/year per available bed in the hospital. On average, the findings show that before the implementation of the management plan, the amounts generated from hazardous waste grow at a rate of 20.9%/year. The rate of hazardous waste generation after implementation of the management plan decreases to -16.9%/year. This study may be relevant for hospitals of similar characteristics in developing countries because it can be a reference point for visualizing the benefits of implementing a hospital waste management plan.