Biohazard Waste Removal

Biohazard waste refers to the types of waste typically produced by contact with biological material, which usually occurs in certain environments, such as hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. The disposal of such wastes is strictly governed by laws and practices, to ensure the safety of all those working in such environments. Biowaste can carry disease or infection that can spread to people and cause a variety of different health problems.

Biohazards

• There are several categories of biohazards, including actual waste, human (or animal) tissue or blood, and other types of fluids associated with organic life. It is unlikely you will find these wastes simply spilled on the floor or left in a particular area. If they are in such an area, you should immediately remove the biomaterial to the nearest safe disposal area, using protective equipment, including latex gloves and face masks, where appropriate. In medical settings there will always be a site to transfer biohazard material to, usually a particular trash bag. Biohazard trash bags are usually red and much stronger than ordinary trash bags. They are also disposed of in particular ways, so you should not put them with other trash.

  More likely, biohazard contamination will occur when you accidentally spill some type of biomaterial onto your protective clothing, and most likely you will need to remove waste as a natural process of cleaning up a test, experiment, or medical procedure. There are small biohazard bags that such waste materials can be put in for autoclaving and disposal. "Autoclaving" refers to a process in which items that need to be disposed of are subjected to hot, high-pressure steam to remove or destroy biohazard material. You will probably not have an autoclave device at home, but you will also not be able to use your typical cleaning processes, so removing the material and disinfecting all areas involved is even more important in non-medical environments.

Medical Wastes

• There are certain types of biohazard waste that are most common in a medical setting, including "sharps" like broken beakers, disposable syringes, and other types of sharp objects that could possibly infect others with biohazard-related infections and diseases. These should always be placed immediately in the proper autoclaving bags so that they can then be cleaned and thrown away. Many companies produce boxes or bags specifically for disposing of these biohazard materials once they have been cleaned. Infected liquids should be flushed down the drain, and all items should be labeled before disposal.