Environment ministry releases new Bio-medical waste management rules

The Economic Times , Monday, March 28, 2016
Correspondent :
NEW DELHI: The Environment ministry today released the new Bio-medical WasteManagement Rules, 2016 which will bring in a wider and more comprehensive regime for bio waste management.

"The new bio-medical waste management rules will change the way country used to manage this waste earlier. Under the new regime, the coverage has increased and also provides for pre-treatment of lab waste, blood samples, etc. It mandates bar code system for proper control. It has simplified categorisation and authorisation. Thus, it will make a big difference to clean India Mission", Union Minister of State (IC) Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said.

Biomedical waste comprises human & animal anatomical waste, treatment apparatus like needles, syringes and other materials used in health care facilities in the process of treatment and research.

The quantum of waste generated in India is estimated to be 1-2 kg per bed per day in ahospital and 600 gm per day per bed in a clinic. 85% of the hospital waste is non-hazardous, 15% is infectious/hazardous.

The ambit of the new rules has been expanded to include vaccination camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps or any other healthcare activity and also phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags within two years. They also call for pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags through disinfection orsterilisation on-site in the manner as prescribed by WHO or NACO;

As per the new rules, a Bar-Code System will be brought in for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal and Bio-medical waste will be classified in to 4 categories instead 10 to improve the segregation of waste at source. As per these rules, existing incinerators will be required to achieve the standards for retention time in secondary chamber and Dioxin and Furans within two years, emissions limits will be specified for Dioxin and furans.

State Governments will be required to provide land for setting up common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility and no occupier shall establish on-site treatment and disposal facility, if a service of `common bio-medical waste treatment facility is available at a distance of seventy-five kilometer.

The hospitals servicing 1000 patients or more per month are required to obtain authorisation and segregate biomedical waste in to 10 categories, pack five colour backs for disposal. There are 198 common bio-medical waste treatment facilities (CBMWF) are in operation and 28 are under construction. 21,870 HCFs have their own treatment facilities and 1,31,837 HCFs are using the CBMWFs.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/environment-ministry-releases-new-bio-medical-waste-management-rules/articleshow/51573175.cms?prtpage=1
 


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