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Waste Management & Research, Vol. 25, No. 1, 83-89 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X07069497

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

B. Aylin Zeren Alagöz

Günay Kocasoy

Bogaziçi University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hisar Campus, 34342, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey

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 Istanbul 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.

Key Words: Medical waste • Istanbul • incineration • sterilization • disposal • wmr 1035–3


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