TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of healthcare waste indicators for assessing infectious waste management in Bolivia
AU - Ferronato, Navarro
AU - Ragazzi, Marco
AU - Torrez Elias, Marisol Secundina
AU - Gorritty Portillo, Marcelo Antonio
AU - Guisbert Lizarazu, Edith Gabriela
AU - Torretta, Vincenzo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2020/1/1
Y1 - 2020/1/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Developing countries
KW - circular economy
KW - management tools
KW - sustainable development
KW - waste management indicators
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074822376&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0734242X19883690
DO - 10.1177/0734242X19883690
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 31665977
AN - SCOPUS:85074822376
SN - 0734-242X
VL - 38
SP - 4
EP - 18
JO - Waste Management and Research
JF - Waste Management and Research
IS - 1
ER -