Application of healthcare waste indicators for assessing infectious waste management in Bolivia

Navarro Ferronato, Marco Ragazzi, Marisol Secundina Torrez Elias, Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo, Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu, Vincenzo Torretta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the developing world, healthcare waste management is a human health and environmental burden that should be solved for improving sustainability. Solutions should be introduced in the short term, concerning management, planning, financial assistance and expertise. The paper introduces an indicator set for assessing healthcare waste management in developing cities, implemented in La Paz (Bolivia) as a case study. The objective is to suggest an integrated management tool as a first assessment technique to identify the prevailing problems with a healthcare waste management system. Results suggest that, in La Paz, the application of such indicators is useful for evaluating which priorities should be addressed for improving the healthcare waste management system. The tool was applied for introducing a study necessary for the application of new management plans, especially concerning healthcare waste treatment. The method can be replicated in other contexts worldwide, with a focus on the developing world, for comparing cities, management solutions and improvements carried out along the years. The approach is of interest for boosting sustainability and human health, improving the awareness of the actors and policy-makers involved in waste management.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4-18
Number of pages15
JournalWaste Management and Research
Volume38
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.

Keywords

  • Developing countries
  • circular economy
  • management tools
  • sustainable development
  • waste management indicators

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