Healthcare
waste (HCW) is a by-product of healthcare that includes sharps,
non-sharps, blood, body parts, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical
devices and radioactive materials.
Poor management of HCW exposes healthcare workers, waste handlers and the community to infections, toxic effects and injuries.
WHO Programme activities include developing technical guidance materials for assessing the quantities and types of waste produced in different facilities, creating national action plans, developing national healthcare waste management (HCWM) guidelines and building capacity at national level to enhance the way HCW is dealt with in low income countries.
 In the following sub-headings, you can first learn about basic aspects
pertaining to waste definitions and classification, main actors, risks
and ways of minimizing them as well as the international agreements
that underlie the legislative and regulatory principles governing the
way HCW should be handled.
The following headings provide more detailed information around four thematics: management, training, regulatory as well as technical aspects.
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Website structure & navigation
This totally restructured website lets you now access information according to four thematics and focus for each of them on one of the four levels that is most relevant to your needs from National level down to primary healthcare centres (PHCs).
 A set of five databases are available through the "Search"
menu on the left, providing you with extra resources in the form of
documents, website links, country information, case studies and
technical options.
The "Quick links" above give
contextualized results from the above mentionned databases for the four
thematics and levels so that you may keep focused on what you are
looking for.
Any hesitation about the definition of a term, simply use the glossary search above (copy-paste the word and click on the magnifying glass).
To check out the latest news and information added in the databases, take a look at the news sub-heading or subscribe to our RSS feeds.
If you have any remarks, suggestions or have some piece of information you believe should be posted on this website, please contact: hcwaste@who.int
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