The Incinerator Guidebook: A Practical Guide for Selecting ... - SSWM

Glass disposal
Glass vials deposited in incinerators tend to clog grates and causes explosions when unopened. As a
general rule, glass should not be incinerated. The increasing use of glass syringes for new prefilled
vaccines represents a new challenge to waste disposal since these syringes are infectious and should
not be incinerated with other waste.
A glass crusher with provision for crushed glass to be heated and sterilized will be essential at
disposal facilities in the coming one to two years as new vaccines emerge packaged in glass.
Provision of space within the enclosure or building for equipment to crush glass syringes and vials
is important.
Placenta pit
If you are using a fuel-assisted
incinerator at a facility where a
maternity unit is located then,
subject to local customs, a
placenta pit should be built.
Auto-combustion incinerators
are not suited to destroying
placenta. The pit should be
located at some distance (20
meters or more) from the
incinerator enclosure.
Equipment inspection
Each incinerator needs its own
checklist. The manufacturer
should help to put this checklist
together, as they know best
which parts might break and
require replacement. The
supervisor needs to inspect the
system quarterly at a minimum.
In order to determine the
condition of the system, and
predict possible problems or
failures across the network. In
this way, spare parts can be
ordered in advance so they are
available if and when the need
arises.
Lessons learned: WDU Construction in Rwanda
Rwanda constructed 13 small-scale incinerators for HCW
disposal in 2005. Design criteria for these incinerators included:
� A temperature gauge to help operators manage the
performance of the incinerator to maximize combustion.
� Air-flow valve in the chimney to buffer the residence time
of gas in the secondary chimney when different waste
types were loaded.
� Addition of an underground ash pit with easy access to
the ash chamber.
� A needle pit to safely contain needles removed with
needle removers in clinical settings.
� A secure enclosures to control community access to
equipment and to provide storage space for waste, tools,
protective equipment, and record keeping.
A report was prepared by the PEPFAR-funded through CDC and
USAID MMIS project in 2006 detailing lessons learned by
partners during this project. (www.mmis.jsi.com). A 2008
assessment by the Rwanda Ministry of Health and PATH
concluded that additional hands-on operator training was
required; that personal protective equipment meeting
performance specifications was not available in Rwanda; and
that the weaknesses of construction materials, metalwork, and
non-adherence to technical drawings could be overcome. The
cost-effective method identified to tackle these issues was to
import critical components including refractory bricks and precise
metalwork in stainless steel. Recommended specifications for
future construction of waste disposal units in Rwanda can be
found in Annex 3. For more information, see:
http://www.create.org.in/wdu_glance.htm.
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