Table 8.2.

Category of waster and its description

Waste category	Descriptions and examples
Hazardous health-care waste
Sharps waste	Used or unused sharps (e.g., hypodermic, intravenous or other needles; auto-disable syringes; syringes with attached needles; infusion sets; scalpels; pipettes; 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; laboratory cultures and microbiological stocks; waste including excreta and other materials that have been in contact with patients infected with highly infectious diseases in isolation wards)
Pathological waste	Human tissues, organs or fluids; body parts; fetuses; unused blood products
Pharmaceutical waste, cytotoxic waste	Pharmaceuticals that are expired or no longer needed; items contaminated by or containing pharmaceuticals. Cytotoxic waste containing substances with genotoxic properties (e.g., waste containing cytostatic drugs—often used in cancer therapy; genotoxic chemicals)
Chemical waste	Waste containing chemical substances (e.g., laboratory reagents; film developer; disinfectants that are expired or no longer needed; solvents; waste with high content of heavy metals, e.g., batteries; broken thermometers and blood-pressure gauges)
Radioactive waste	Waste containing radioactive substances (e.g., unused liquids from radiotherapy or laboratory research; contaminated glassware, packages, or absorbent paper; urine and excreta from patients treated or tested with unsealed radionuclides; sealed sources)
Nonhazardous or general health-care waste	Waste that does not pose any particular biological, chemical, radioactive, or physical hazard