Table 3.

Classification of hospital wastes (NHC, 2002).

Classification	Definition
Domestic wastes	Domestic wastes are generated from the hospital management and the maintenance of buildings, and it is usually disposed of according to the principle of urban waste disposal.
Infectious wastes	Infectious wastes refer to wastes that may contain pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungus in concentrations and quantities sufficient to cause disease in humans, which mainly include: (1) medium of bacterial colonies and pathogenic strain as well as culture preservation solution used in the laboratory; (2) wastes of infectious patients, such as tissues, contaminated materials, and instruments after surgery or autopsy; (3) wastes from infectious wards, such as feces, dressings for surgical or infected wounds, heavily contaminated clothes, etc.; (4) wastes of infectious patients produced in hemodialysis, such as dialysis equipment, test tubes, filters, apron, gloves, etc.; (5) infected animals in the laboratory; (6) any equipment or materials which are contacted by infectious disease patients or animals; (7) used disposable syringes, infusion sets, blood transfusion apparatus, etc.
Pathological wastes	Including tissues, organs, parts of the body, fetal death and animal carcasses, blood, body fluids.
Sharp wastes	Sharp objects refer to objects that could puncture or cut people, including needles, hypodermic needles, scalpels, infusion sets, surgical saws, broken glasses and nails.
Pharmaceutical wastes	The pharmaceutical wastes include expired, eliminated, crushed or contaminated medicines, vaccines, and serum.
Chemical wastes	Chemical wastes include solids, liquids, and gases that are toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, or genotoxic in the process of diagnosis, testing, cleaning, management, and disinfection. Such as formaldehyde, photography agents, organic compounds, etc.
Radioactive wastes	Radioactive wastes contain solids, liquids, and gases contaminated with radionuclides. Such as solid waste (absorbent paper, mop, glassware, syringes, small medicine dishes) with low activity, residues and diagnostic agents in containers of radioactive materials.