{"id":4945,"date":"2023-01-02T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T00:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.bd.com\/iv-news\/?p=4945"},"modified":"2022-12-19T11:05:24","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:05:24","slug":"the-ins-and-outs-of-syringe-waste-disposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eu.bd.com\/iv-news\/news-innovation\/the-ins-and-outs-of-syringe-waste-disposal\/","title":{"rendered":"The ins and outs of syringe waste disposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plastics are a low-cost, strong and versatile material that can easily be shaped when melted1<\/sup>. Single-use plastics can be replaced quickly to maintain a sterile environment2<\/sup>. This is one of the reasons why they are used in patient care.<\/p>\n

Facing the challenges of syringe waste disposal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

“Single-use plastics are the cleanest, most efficient way,” to promote health and hygiene in healthcare facilities according to the American Chemistry Council2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Many industries are looking for ways to reduce and reuse plastics3<\/sup>. However, these approaches present challenges to healthcare facilities because single-use plastic medical devices are used to help prevent the spread of disease and infection3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Due to the presence of sharps and patient contact, disposal options for syringes are limited because of technical and regulatory challenges4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Reusing syringes, intravenous (IV) catheters and other single-use plastic medical devices is not recommended, as this could increase the risk of infection5,6<\/sup>. Patient safety is the top priority in healthcare.<\/p>\n

More on this topic: <\/strong>3 ways that BD is fighting climate change<\/a><\/p>\n

Segregating waste for improved syringe waste disposal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cThere are still certainly different types of plastics that could be recovered that aren’t being recovered today for a number of reasons,\u201d says Kim Holmes, former vice president of sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

One of the keys to improving healthcare waste management is by ensuring proper waste segregation7<\/sup>. By separating waste into different streams you can increase the material that gets recycled8<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are items used in patient care that don\u2019t come in contact with patients so they\u2019re not biohazards, and those could be recycled2<\/sup>,\u201d specifies Kim Holmes. These components include needle shields and syringe packaging4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to choose packaging made with mono-materials or multiple materials that are easy to separate into different recycling streams (e.g., paper and polypropylene packaging designed to be peeled apart)9<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

More on this topic: <\/strong>BD Emerald\u2122 Syringes: Helping patients and the planet, one injection at a time!<\/a><\/p>\n

Non-hazardous versus hazardous waste<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Out of all waste generated by healthcare, 85% is considered general, non-hazardous waste7<\/sup>. Non-hazardous waste doesn\u2019t have any biological, chemical, radioactive or physical hazard6<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The remaining 15% is hazardous waste7<\/sup>. This includes6<\/sup>:<\/p>\n