INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT BTV3233 SOLID & SCH.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

A) Visual Inspection and Nature of the Wastes

The clinic provides a treatment for infectious diseases apart from that, they also stored medical
drugs for patients. Expired drugs are separated from other useful drugs.

The wastes from the clinics are chemically infectious and hazardous.

B) 5 Physical and 5 Chemical Properties of the Wastes

Physical Properties Chemical Properties

High Moisture content Ignitable

Insoluble in water Corrosive

Low heating value Reactive

Size ranges from 0.05-0.2 (kg/bed) daily waste Toxic

High content of heavy metals Genotoxic

C) 5 Hazardous Waste Characteristics

Ignitable - Ignitable wastes might cause fires under certain conditions, are suddenly combustible.
Examples waste are solvents.

Corrosive – Contain acid pH less than or equal to 2 or alkali pH more than or equal to 12 and
sometimes capable of corroding metal containers.

Reactive - Can cause explosions, produce toxic fumes, gases, or vapors or explosive mixtures when
heated, compressed, or mixed with water.

Toxics - Toxic wastes are harmful when absorbed such as mercury. When toxic wastes are land
disposed, contaminated liquid may leach from the waste and pollute ground water.

Genotoxic - Mainly use in cancer treatment. May have mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic
properties. It raises serious safety problems, both inside hospitals and after disposal.

D) Sources, Origins, processes / activities on how these wastes are generated

The sources of the wastes might come from cloth or material that has been in contact with patients
with contagious diseases including human blood, needles, syringes and swabs (alcohol) used at the
clinic. The infected patients that experience fever, flu or sore throat could infect other people not
only by directly in contact with them but also through equipment and material the patients had
used.

As for the expired drugs, after certain time the drug stored by the clinic for the patients will become
a waste that are harmful to be used and need to be separated.

E) Principal Composition & Main Constituents

Principal Composition: Organic and Inorganic

Main Constituents: Acid, alkaline and formaldehyde

F) According to the EQ (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005, as stated in the First Schedule these
wastes are:

Waste Code

Acid SW301

Formaldehyde SW320

Alkali SW402

Discarded or expired drugs SW403

Pathogenic waste SW404

G) Appropriate container for packaging these wastes for temporary storage before disposal

- Red Plastic drum

- Biohazard yellow plastic bag

H) Warning sign, labels and names of these wastes

 Sign Label Name

CORROSIVE SUBSTANCES - Hydrochloric acid

(WASTE) - Sodium hydroxide
- Potassium
Symbol (liquid spilling from two permanganate
glass vessels and attacking a
hand and a metal): black
Background: upper half white,
lower half black
EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES - Oxygen tank
(WASTE) - Anaesthetic gases

Symbol (exploding bomb): black

Background: light orange

INFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS - Sanitizer / disinfectant

(WASTE) agent
- Methanol
Symbol (flame): black or white
Background: red

TOXIC SUBSTANCES (WASTE) - Benzene

- Mercury
Poisonous (toxic) substance. - Any expired drugs
Symbol (skull over crossbones):
black
Background: white

INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES - Used Alcohol swab

(WASTE) - Anatomical waste
- Blood
Symbol (three crescents - Pathogen
superimposed on a circle): black
Background: white

References

Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) (Msia.)

World Health Organization (WHO). (2019). Definition and characterization of health-care waste.