Disposal and Export of Pharmaceutical Waste from the Institute of Oncology and Radiology
Miteco Kneževac performs the collection and disposal of hazardous medical waste from the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia on a weekly basis. After collection, cytotoxic drugs, organic solvents, and packaging are exported to European Union countries.
Approximately 85% of hazardous pharmaceutical and medical waste in Serbia is exported and incinerated in accredited hazardous waste incinerators. Miteco is the leading operator with long-term experience in the permanent disposal and storage of hazardous chemicals from healthcare institutions.
Generation of Medical Waste
1. 10-25% of medical waste is hazardous to human health and the environment.
2. 85% of the annual amount of generated medical waste is exported from Serbia.
3. "Miteco" annually disposes of 150 tons of medical waste.
Caution with Hazardous Waste Disposal
Hazardous and non-hazardous waste, as a heterogeneous mixture, is generated during the provision of healthcare services. Hazardous chemicals can endanger the environment and human health through direct contact, or indirectly, by contaminating watercourses, soil, and air. Numerous studies have proven the presence of cytotoxic drugs in surface waters, as well as the carcinogenic effects of certain pollutants (gases) produced during the incineration of medical waste.
Part of the medical waste in Serbia undergoes sterilization within the healthcare institutions themselves, after which it is disposed of in landfills, while an accredited hazardous waste incineration facility in the country still does not exist. This further emphasizes the importance of proper management of medical waste streams and, on the other hand, is supported by the Waste Management Law.
By providing pharmaceutical waste disposal services, Miteco has built upon its 50 years of experience and has an answer to the specific question: how is this waste packaged, labeled, temporarily stored, and permanently disposed of. From healthcare institutions, Miteco mainly collects:
- Organic solvents (methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, xylene, formaldehyde...),
- Waste cytotoxic drugs,
- Empty cytotoxic drug packaging,
- Medical materials that have been in contact with cytotoxic drugs,
- Waste from HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography) devices (mixture of water, organic solvents, and special chemicals).
Cytotoxic waste is very high-risk and is specifically indexed during waste classification.
Cooperation between the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia and Miteco
The disposal and export of pharmaceutical waste becomes an issue during the provision of healthcare, administration of therapy, and even in the diagnostic process itself. Pollution that could occur in healthcare institutions would endanger the health of the institution's employees, as well as the health of the surrounding environment and entire ecosystems within which the waste is stored. After the patient is cared for, the question remains: what happens to the chemicals, cytotoxic drugs, and unused medicines.
Miteco Kneževac collected approximately 400 kilograms of hazardous waste this week from the Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia. The cooperation on the task of ecologically and health-wise acceptable handling of medical waste was renewed by the Company and the Institute at the end of 2016. It involves a contract for 11 tons of waste contaminated with cytotoxic drugs and 8 tons of chemical waste from the laboratories of the Institute of Oncology and Radiology. Upon receipt at the warehouse, the cytotoxic drugs are exported abroad for incineration under a permit for pharmaceutical waste.
The result of this cooperation is responsible and professional management of pharmaceutical waste as a very specific type of hazardous waste.