Treatment and disposal alternatives for health-care waste in developing countries – a case study in Istanbul, Turkey

• Published in: Waste management & research 2007-02, Vol.25 (1), p.83-89
• Main Authors: Alagöz, B. Aylin Zeren, Kocasoy, Günay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case studies; Combustion; Cost engineering; Developing Countries; Dumping; Environmental protection; Hazardous wastes; Health care; Household wastes; Incineration; Incineration plants; Infectious wastes; Irradiation; Landfills; LDCs; Medical Waste; Medical Waste Disposal - methods; Medical wastes; Occupational exposure; Refuse and refuse disposal; Sterilization; Technical information; Toxic wastes; Turkey; Waste disposal; Waste disposal sites; Waste management; Wastes
• ISSN: 0734-242X; 1096-3669; 0734-242X
• DOI: 10.1177/0734242X07069497

Efficient health-care waste management is crucial for the prevention of the exposure of health-care workers, patients, and the community to infections, toxic wastes and injuries as well as the protection of the environment (Safe Management of Wastes from Health-care Activities. World Health Organization, Geneva). The amount of health-care waste produced in the İstanbul Metropolitan City in Turkey is 30 ton day–1 in total. The method used for the final disposal of most of the health-care waste of Istanbul is incineration. However, a great portion of the infectious waste is disposed of with the domestic waste into the sanitary landfill because of improper segregation practices applied in the health-care institutions. Therefore the alternatives for the treatment and disposal of health-care waste were evaluated. The technical information related to the available treatment technologies including incineration, microwave irradiation, mobile or stationary sterilization, etc. were also investigated. The capital investment cost, transportation/operational costs for each alternative method and the different locations for installation were compared. When the data collected were evaluated, it was found that separate handling and disposal of health-care waste generated on the European and the Asian sides of the city was the most economic and practicable solution. As a result, it was concluded that the capacity of the Kemerburgaz-Odayeri incineration plant is enough to incinerate the health-care waste generated on the European side of Istanbul, the construction of a new incineration plant or a stationary sterilization unit for the disposal of health-care waste generated on the Asian side was the most effective alternative.