A Review of Medical Waste Management Systems in the Republic of Korea for Hospital and Medical Waste Generated from the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Sustainability 2022-03, Vol.14 (6), p.3678
• Main Authors: Yoon, Cheol-Woo, Kim, Min-Jung, Park, Yoon-Su, Jeon, Tae-Wan, Lee, Min-Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air pollution control; Air quality management; Belgium; Chemicals; Classification; Codes; Combustion; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cytotoxicity; Dioxins; Disease; Emission standards; Environmental law; Furans; Germany; Health aspects; Health care; Health care facilities; Health care reform; Health risks; Health services; Hospitals; Household wastes; Incineration; Incinerators; Infections; Japan; Laboratory animals; Landfills; Medical laboratories; Medical wastes; Municipal landfills; Municipal wastes; Pandemics; Pesticides; Pollutants; Pollution control; Polyvinyl chloride; Public health; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Refuse and refuse disposal; South Korea; Sustainability; United Kingdom; United States; Waste disposal sites; Waste management; Waste treatment
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su14063678

With the increasing generation of medical waste worldwide, managing medical waste has become crucial, given its potential environmental and public health risks. Previously in the Republic of Korea, medical waste was often mixed with municipal waste and disposed of in residential landfills or unsuitable treatment facilities (e.g., improperly managed incinerators). Environmental regulators and waste producers have made extensive efforts in recent years to improve waste management at healthcare facilities. This study presents an overview of the status of medical waste management in Korea and discusses information on the generation, composition, separation, transportation, and treatment of medical waste. Incineration was confirmed to be the most preferred treatment method for medical waste and was the only one used until late 2005. Large-scale medical waste incinerators are used for treating medical waste from most medical facilities in Korea; however, with increasing regulations on toxic air emissions (e.g., dioxins and furans), air emission standards are being tightened for all existing small-scale incineration facilities without air pollution control. Since medical waste usually contains various plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride, these incinerators are highly likely to emit toxic air pollutants if improperly operated and managed. Waste minimization and recycling, control of toxic air emissions from medical waste incinerators, and alternative treatment methods to incineration are seen as major challenges. Incineration capacity cannot be expanded as quickly as the rising quantities of medical waste in Korea; thus, there is a growing need to reconsider the overall management system. Accordingly, we examined various medical waste treatment policies and methods that are being implemented in other countries, in addition to the main strategy of waste management. To determine preferable directions for the improvement of the medical waste management system, we investigated and compared the status of domestic and foreign waste management and proposed directions for improvement, focusing on several issues related to the current medical waste management system in Korea.