Healthcare Waste Report - Environment Health

Collection, Storage and
Transportation
top, above and right: Containers for
healthcare waste collection
The same study indicates that about 37
institutions separate their medical waste from
the general waste while the remaining four do
not. Few medical institutions use a standard
system with containers or colored bags with
labels, and different types of labeled
containers, while many use other types, such
as, plastic water bottles, plastic bags, etc. Daily
in-house collection of waste is reported to be
carried out in nearly 83% of the medical
institutions. Two medical institutions in
Phnom Penh City collect their medical wastes
more than once per day by a private waste
collecting company and transport them to a
final disposal site.
In-house collection system is carried out daily
adopting a system implemented by the
medical institutions themselves. Wastes at the
origin are mostly collected in small plastic
color coded bins marked with the respective
symbols. Workers collect daily primary bins or
containers of medical waste, which is mixed
with other solid wastes to store them in
medium-sized containers or in the places
within the premises of the facilities. Some of
the primary bins or containers used for
general and medical wastes have not been
labeled and covered or locked. Figure above
shows the commonly used containers for
collection of healthcare waste in the studied
Cambodian hospitals.
Large hospitals and health centers generally
have dedicated places for the storage of wastes
while polyclinics and clinics use containers.
Waste storage yards are generally open and
prone to storm water runoff during rains. The
study reports that only two hospitals had cold
room facilities to store pathological waste. A
private waste collecting company is authorized
to collect solid waste in Phnom Penh City.
This company has been contracted by 40
medical institutions to collect their wastes and
transport them to the final disposal site, while
one hospital utilizes the service of Phnom
Penh Waste Management (PPWM).
21 HEALTHCARE WASTE IN ASIA: INTUITIONS & INSIGHTS