BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, June 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Medical waste disposal can be defined as the subset of waste produced by hospitals, physician’s offices, dental practices, mortuaries, nursing homes, blood banks, veterinary clinics, medical research facilities, and laboratories. The waste is disposed of by incineration, autoclaving, chemical treatment, and other disposal methods. The two types of waste are classified as
a) Hazardous Waste: Hazardous waste has properties that can have a harmful effect on human health or the environment. It is derived from infectious, pathological (tissue), sharp, chemical, pharmaceutical, cytotoxic (mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic substances) or radioactive sources.
b) Non-hazardous Waste: Non-hazardous waste does not cause harm to people or the environment, and regulations for the disposal of non-hazardous waste are relatively less strict. Examples of non-hazardous medical waste include plastic packaging, clean glass and plastic, paper and cardboard, and office products. It makes up about 85% of all medical waste, and ~15% is hazardous.
The WHO estimates that in rich countries for each occupied hospital bed, 0.5kg of hazardous medical waste is produced, in developing nations this is closer to 0.2kg. However, estimates are harder to come to as hazardous and non-hazardous waste are commonly mixed up making the volume much higher. Proper waste disposal is required to reduce environmental risks, protect healthcare staff and prevent contamination.
Growing Volume of Hazardous Medical Waste to Drive the Medical Waste Management Market
An increasing population and healthcare utilization, especially in developing economies, is driving the growth of the medical waste management market. Overall life expectancies are improving and the world is aging – increasing morbidity and therefore medical waste. Other growth factors are as follows:
- Increasing use of disposables – Hospitals are increasingly using disposables – common items such as catheters and scalpels are disposed of as opposed to autoclaving or UV treating them.
- Prions (pathogens resistant to sterilization by autoclaving or UV) exhibit the highest level of resistance to disinfection/sterilization. Reusable medical devices are more prone to become contaminated with prions. Additional concerns surrounding the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are also driving the move to using disposables.
- An increasing use of a wide range of radionuclides in medicine and medical research has fueled the volume of biomedical radioactive waste.
- Another major driver for the increase in hazardous waste is due to inadequate waste management in developing economies. Improper disposal causes a hazardous waste to be mixed with general waste, therefore making the general waste hazardous. This increases the overall volume of waste which needs to be disposed of through incineration.
Bolstered by Covid-19 Pandemic, Legislative Focus on the Proper Disposal of Medical Waste is Expected to Continue to Drive the Growth of the Medical Waste Management Market
The Covid-19 pandemic brought into focus the need for an effective and safe medical waste management, placing plans for it higher on the agenda for governments. Waste produced due to Covid-19 pandemic in many countries exceeded the waste management capabilities available at the time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, in the Hubei Province, China witnessed a medical waste generation rate of 0.5kg/bed/day in many hospitals, which in turn led to investments in increasing capacity and emergency solutions to waste disposal.
The focus on the safe processing of waste has brought legislation surrounding the safe disposal of waste from governments globally, requiring effective disposal. The most commonly utilized methods are incineration, autoclaving, chemical disinfection, and microwave treatment.
Examples of the increasing focus on the effective disposal of medical waste are as follows:
- Healthcare waste management was one of the major strains that arose due to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, to strengthen and safely manage the infectious waste, in July 2020, the European Union (EU) and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) donated two medical waste autoclaves to the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) in Belize (North-eastern coast of Central America). Autoclaves play a key role in proper waste management and are mainly used to sterilize infectious waste before they are disposed of in designated landfills. Through the donation of the autoclaves, the Ministry of Health and Wellness in Belize enhanced the hospital’s capacity for infection prevention and control with a focus on medical waste management.
North America Holds the Highest Market Share in Medical Waste Management Market while China is Growing Rapidly as Companies Aim to Comply with Chinese Regulations
The USA has a well-developed healthcare industry – there is also a stringent set of regulatory guidelines that healthcare providers and waste disposal companies have to adhere to. The disposal of medical waste is overseen by multiple government bodies including the EPA, OSHA, and individual State Departments for Environmental Protection. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) issued regulations surrounding emissions produced by medical waste incineration, and other methods of disposal such as microwave, chemical and electro pyrolysis disposal are more commonly used – driving demand for these services.
As China and India begin to better implement their medical waste disposal policy, the medical waste disposal market is expected to see a substantial growth in the near future.
Competitive Landscape Analysis: Medical Waste Management Market
Some of the leading and well-established players operating in the medical waste management market are Biomedical Waste Solutions, Clean Harbors, Inc., Daniels Health Inc., EcoMed Services, Remondis Medison (A Subsidiary of Remondis Ag & Co.Kg), Republic Services, Inc., Stericycle, Inc., Suez Environmental Services, Veolia Environmental Services and Waste Management, Inc. The global medical waste management market is moderately fragmented, with some leading players holding a significant market share in developed economies. However, the lack of standardized regulations for medical waste management and the lack of awareness on medical waste management in developing countries are some of the key factors that might hamper the growth of the medical waste management market.
Explore Detailed Insights on Medical Waste Management Market Report @ https://meditechinsights.com/medical-waste-management-market/
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