Biohazard Waste and Biomedical Waste Management
Law and principle
Biomedical waste is governed in India by the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 (amended 2018). The core principle is segregation at the point of generation, in colour-coded containers with the biohazard symbol and appropriate labels.
Colour coding you must know
- Yellow: human anatomical waste, soiled waste, expired or discarded medicines, cytotoxic waste, chemical and microbiological waste – incineration or appropriate treatment.
- Red: contaminated recyclable plastic such as IV tubing, bottles, catheters, gloves – autoclave or shred and recycle.
- White translucent, puncture-proof: sharps – needles, syringes with needles, blades, broken glass – needle destroyer then secure container.
- Blue: glassware, metallic implants, broken or discarded glass – disinfection or recycling. General waste such as paper, packaging and leftover food goes to the municipal stream, never into colour-coded bins.
Rules of practice
- Never recap, bend or break a needle by hand; destroy it at the point of use.
- Do not overfill containers – fill to about three-quarters.
- Bags are tied when three-quarters full, labelled with ward, date and category.
- Waste is stored in a designated area and handed to the common biomedical waste treatment facility within the permitted period, generally 48 hours.
- Maintain records of generation and disposal, and note the annual report submission to the prescribed authority by 30 June.
Worked example
Sort these: used needle, IV tubing, expired tablets, broken glass ampoule, used gloves. Reasoning: needle → white translucent sharps container after destruction; IV tubing and gloves → red bag; expired tablets → yellow; broken glass → blue puncture-proof container.
Traps
- Mixing general waste into red or yellow bags.
- Putting a needle into a red plastic bag.
- Filling bags to the brim.
- Signing the disposal register without checking weights.