Biomedical Waste

1. Judicial Interventions: The Supreme Court in Dr. B.L. Wadehra vs. Union of India (1996) criticized Delhi’s waste mismanagement, prompting nationwide action.

2. Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules (1998): This was the first regulation to recognize biomedical waste as hazardous, empowering pollution control boards.

3.Amendments and Updates: Strengthened protocols in 2016 and integrated technology advancements in 2020.

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Key Features of India’s Biomedical Waste Management:

Mandated segregation of waste at the source into distinct categories.
Use of color-coded containers (yellow, red, blue, white) for easy identification and handling.

Waste Segregation and Color-Coding:

Waste segregation and color-coding can help keep people and the environment safe by ensuring that waste is properly disposed of. Color codes for waste can vary by organization, country, and the type of waste.

Here are some examples of color-coded bins for different types of waste:

Green: For wet waste, non-regulated medical waste, and organic waste like food waste, garden debris, and non-hazardous wood trash

Blue: For dry waste, non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste like pills, injectables, and unused medications, and glass waste

Red: For sanitary waste, anatomical waste, and contaminated plastic waste

Yellow: For highly infectious pathogens like used PPE kits and garments, medical waste with trace amounts of chemotherapy agents, and anatomical waste

Black: For e-waste, extremely hazardous waste, and hazardous and other waste

Purple: For hazardous waste polluted by chemotherapy-related pharmaceuticals

Orange: For hazardous and non-hazardous waste from patients suspected of infectious diseases

Syringe Tide

In August 1987, the beaches of the United States witnessed a chilling phenomenon dubbed the “Syringe Tide.”

Why BMW disposal is Important?

80% non-infectious,(kitchen waste, paper)
15% is infectious (dressings, anatomical wastes, blood bags)
5% is non infectious but hazardous,(chemicals, drugs and mercury)
When this 20% of the hospital infectious material is mixed with 80%
Then all the 100% waste becomes hazardous and infectious, hence segregation should be at Source

India generates approximately 700 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) of biomedical waste, of which about 640 TPD is treated, despite the combined treatment capacity available being 1,590 TPD.

Bio-medical Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 notified on March 28, 2016, by MoEFCC, Govt. of India under Environmental Protection Act, 1986.

1. Which judicial case highlighted the issue of waste mismanagement in India and prompted nationwide action?

(a) M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India

(b) Dr. B.L. Wadehra vs. Union of India

(d) Olga Tellis vs. Bombay Municipal Corporation

2. Under which act were the Bio-medical Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, notified?

(a) Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

(b) Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

(d) Hazardous Waste Management Act, 1989

3. Which color-coded bin is designated for the disposal of highly infectious pathogens, such as used PPE kits and anatomical waste?

(a) Red

(b) Yellow

(d) Green