Tervishoiuasutuste jäätmete (tervishoiujäätmed) alla kuuluvad kõik jäätmed, mis on tekkinud antud asutustes, uuringukeskustes ja laboratooriumites. Samuti kuuluvad siia jäätmed, mis on tekkinud näiteks koduse ravi käigus.
Erijuhtudel, näiteks nakkusohtlike tervishoiujäätmete korral, käesoleva paragrahvi lõikes 7 nimetatud proove ei võeta ja jäätmed suunatakse otse koldesse, neid enne muud liiki jäätmetega segamata ja vahetult käsitsemata.
High-temperature incineration is the most common treatment method for healthcare waste (HCW) because of safety concerns; however, it has significant environmental impacts such as high energy use, natural resources depletion and emissions. There are alternative treatments that can also guarantee safety levels for waste streams of concern (e.g. infectious waste, anatomical waste, sharps and pharmaceutical waste) and they can achieve a better environmental performance than high-temperature incineration, e.g. thanks to reduced energy use or better resource efficiency (increasing the rate of recycling from HCW).
Health-care waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms that can infect hospital patients, health workers and the general public. Other potential hazards may include drug-resistant microorganisms which spread from health facilities into the environment.
The major sources of health-care waste are:
- hospitals and other health facilities; - laboratories and research centres; - mortuary and autopsy centres; - animal research and testing laboratories; - blood banks and collection services; - nursing homes for the elderly
