Recycled medical waste, namely plastics such as disposable syringes and IV bags, is increasingly making its way into toys and tableware on the market.
Pursuit of profit, lax recycling standards and lack of proper resources are among the reasons behind this hazardous trend, according to news magazine Outlook.
Often, hospitals and other institutions illegally sell off medical waste because they do not have the means or resources to dispose of it properly.
“I know it’s against the law, but processing one ton of medical waste can fetch 4,000 yuan (US$578), while one ton of ordinary waste only brings in 1,000 yuan (US$144),” a source at an illegal processing workshop in Baoding, Hebei Province told the magazine.
Incineration should be the main treatment method of medical waste disposal. However, there are not enough waste incineration plants. According to the Medical Waste Disposal Market Competitiveness and Investment Prospect Research Report (2007-2022) released by bosidata.com, China’s total volume of medical waste disposal in 2015 was 629,000 tons, with a disposal rate of 31.3 percent. While an increase from 23.9 percent in 2008, the disposal rate was still low.
Another reason for improper disposal is that some medical institutions employ part-time janitors who lack professional training. As a result, medical waste is disposed of along with general waste.
Medical institutions that lack resources often hire third-party firms to handle medical waste. However, some of these firms fail to classify and separate it from regular waste, and instead pack them together for recycling.
Experts in environmental protection and health care are calling for more efforts on stricter law enforcement and higher recycling rate.
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