Glossary

Human tissue, cells, body fluids, or culture materials that may contain infectious or other hazardous materials. Biohazards are infectious agents or hazardous biological materials that present a risk or potential risk to the health of humans, animals or the environment. The risk can be direct through infection or indirect through damage to the environment.

The act of cutting off any part of the body, or removal of a growth or damaged tissue.

A dressing placed on a wound or cut to absorb fluid or other drainage.

Limbs, organs, placenta, pathological specimens, biopsy specimens and body tissue taken during laboratory testing, surgery or autopsy and/or resulting from investigation or treatment of a patient. May include animals. It does not include corpses.

1. the study of structures and organs of the body. 2. the structure of an organism. pharmaceutical, referring to pharmacy or medical drugs.

Tissue arising from the whole or any part of an animal or excreta taken or collected during surgery or laboratory research or testing.

A chamber for sterilizing with steam under pressure.

A combining form referring to life.

Include certain types of recombinant DNA; organisms and viruses infectious to humans, animals or plants (e.g. parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions, rickettsia); and biologically active agents (i.e. toxins, allergens, venoms) that may cause disease in other living organisms or cause significant impact to the environment or community.

Human tissue, cells, body fluids, or culture materials that may contain infectious or other hazardous materials, that present a risk or potential risk to the health of humans, animals or the environment. The risk can be direct through infection or indirect through damage to the environment.

The scientific study of plants and animals. Some branches of biology are biometry, ecology, molecular biology, and paleontology.

A secure wall, ridge or depression of sufficient integrity to completely contain liquid within, or run-off from, waste stored within its confines.

Biohazardous Waste Industry (ANZ). A division of Waste Management Association of Australia.

A flexible tube containing a pointed metal rod (trocar) that can be put in the body. When the rod is removed, fluid can drain through the tube.

Any of the tiny blood vessels in the system that link the arteries and the veins. These tiny vessels, that join arterioles and venules are where the blood-tissue exchange occurs. The blood gives oxygen and nutrients to the cells and collects waste from the cells.

Chemical Waste generated by the use of chemicals in medical, veterinary and laboratory procedures. Chemical wastes in this category include, but are not limited to, mercury, cyanide, azide, formalin and gluteraldehyde. Chemical Wastes also include photochemical wastes.

The treatment of disease or infection with chemicals or drugs. The term is most commonly used to refer to cancer treatment. The drugs interfere with DNA synthesis by the tumor. Thus they do not actually kill the cells, but interfere with their ability to divide.

1. a department in a hospital where persons not needing to stay in the hospital receive medical care. 2. a group practice of doctors 3. a meeting place for doctors and medical students, where lessons can be given at the bedside of a patient or in a similar place.

The act of removing accumulated waste from the generating source

Healthcare Waste that is recognizable as coming from a Healthcare facility which:
(a) May be contaminated or soiled with potentially infectious human or animal body fluids which shall not be expressible under compaction; or
(b) Is not infectious but may be considered culturally or aesthetically offensive

A chemical compound or drug that kills or damages tissue cells.

Refers to waste products produced during treatment using cytotoxic drugs, typically chemotherapy. This waste may include the Cytotoxic Pharmaceuticals, dripsets, gowns, gloves, faeces, vomit or urine generated during the treatment cycle. This form of waste must be incinerated.

A substance that has a harmful effect on some cells. A substance that defends the body against foreign bodies (antibody) may act as a cytotoxin

A disease affecting sugar use by the body.

A person who has diabetes mellitus.

To destroy pathogens but not necessarily all microbial life

1. the slow but continuous flow of a liquid into the body, as into the stomach or a vein. 2. to put a liquid continuously into the body.

The Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) purpose is to protect, care for and improve our environment. The EPA are the regulators for the waste industry.

Red blood cell, red cell, red corpuscle

Any Waste (excluding recyclable materials), not classified as being within any of the categories of the clinical and related waste streams

A high-speed machine that uses hammers and cutters to crush, grind, chip, or shred solid waste. Shredding is carried out in 3 stages using Hammermills. Ground product is passed through an air separator that separates solid waste from the air. The air to be discharged from the system passes through a bank of pre-filters, HEPA and carbon filters. The ground product is then mixed in a vat with a mist of 2000ppm of sodium hypochlorite. The ground product is then transferred to a compactor that reduces the product by a ration of 14:1. The compacted ground waste is then send to a registered EPA landfill as inert waste.

A high-speed machine that uses hammers and cutters to crush, grind, chip, or shred solid waste. Shredding is carried out in 3 stages using Hammermills. Ground product is passed through an air separator that separates solid waste from the air. The air to be discharged from the system passes through a bank of pre-filters, HEPA and carbon filters. The ground product is then mixed in a vat with a mist of 2000ppm of sodium hypochlorite. The ground product is then transferred to a compactor that reduces the product by a ration of 14:1. The compacted ground waste is then send to a registered EPA landfill as inert waste.

The burning of waste materials. Incineration involves the combustion of waste materials at high temperatures to produce an inert ash, carbon dioxide, water and minimal pollutants. During the incineration process 90% of clinical waste volumes are volatilised off as products of combustion with residual 10% to landfill as ash.

Substances known to or reasonably expected to contain pathogens.

Liquid that has percolated through the material mass and has dissolved or suspended microbial constituents in the liquid emanating from it.

White corpuscle. A white blood cell.

The Matrix treatment process (Alkaline Oxidation) relies, as its chief means of disinfection, shredded biomedical waste to a high pH environment, generated by the addition of Calcium Oxide (Quicklime fines) and water. The process of lime hydration and mixing with the shredded waste stream within a controlled residence time, elevates pH and temperature thereby disinfecting waste prior to compaction and transport to landfill. The 3 steps include 1. Shredding 2. Disinfecting with Calcium Oxide and 3. Dewatering and compacting the mixture and transporting to landfill

Accidental skin pricks from contact with needles (hypodermic syringes). The contact may occur while trying to inject a patient or by carelessly touching the tip of a used needle. Such injuries can be dangerous, especially if the needle was used on a patient with an infectious disease, such as AIDS. To prevent injuries, used needles are not capped or broken, but disposed of in a rigid puncture-proof container.

A sample of discarded tissue skin (epithelial) cells and cervical mucus collected during a pelvic examination for a cancer test using the Papanicolaou system.

Pharmaceutical waste includes expired, unused, spilt and contaminated pharmaceutical products, drugs and vaccines. In this category are also included discarded items used in the handling of pharmaceuticals like bottles, vials, connecting tubing.

Those materials that can be segregated from the waste stream for processing into a useful material

Separation of the various waste components, at the point of generation, into their relevant waste stream categories for subsequent containment, transportation and disposal.

Objects or devices having sharp points or protuberances or cutting edges, capable of penetrating the skin or the container in which it is discarded. Examples of this are needles, lancets and scalpel blades. All glass used in clinical procedures e.g. vials, ampoules whether broken or unbroken, contaminated or not is best disposed as sharps. Also consider syringes without needles, swab sticks, plastic forceps and drip chambers whether attached to tubing or exposed as tubing may become disconnected. Considering these devices for disposal as sharps reduces injury, especially if waste bags are manually handled.

A device for withdrawing, injecting, or instilling fluids. Kinds include asepto syringe, bulb syringe, hypodermic syringe, Luer-Lok syringe, tuberculin syringe.

Mobile Garbage Bin (MGB)