Table 2.

Categories of HW as reported by the WHO [79].

Waste Category	Description and Examples
Sharp waste	Used or unused sharps (e.g., needles, syringes with attached needles, knives, blades, broken glass).
Infectious waste	Waste suspected to contain pathogens and that poses a risk of disease transmission (e.g., waste contaminated with blood and other body fluids).
Pathological waste	Human tissues, organs or fluids, body parts, fetuses, unused blood products.
Pharmaceutical waste	Pharmaceuticals that are expired or no longer needed.
Chemical waste	Waste containing chemical substances (e.g., laboratory reagents, film developer, disinfectants that are expired or no longer needed, broken thermometers with mercury).
Radioactive waste	Waste containing radioactive substances (e.g., unused liquids from radiotherapy or laboratory studies).
Non-hazardous or general HW	Waste that does not pose any biological, chemical, radioactive or physical hazard.