From syringes and infusion bottles in hospitals to surgically removed tissues and expired pharmaceuticals—these seemingly "useless" medical wastes may actually carry pathogens, chemical toxins, or radioactive substances. If improperly handled, they will not only contaminate soil and water sources but also spread diseases through contact, threatening public health. So, what strict and standardized procedures does a batch of medical waste go through from generation to final "elimination"? Today, let’s uncover the "safety code" for medical waste treatment.  

Step 1: Source Classification and Collection – "Issuing ID Cards" to Medical Waste  

The standardized treatment of medical waste begins the moment it is generated. In hospital wards, consulting rooms, laboratory departments, and other areas, medical staff accurately classify waste into 5 categories in accordance with the *Catalogue of Medical Waste Classification* and place them in dedicated containers:  

- **Infectious waste** (e.g., used needles, cotton swabs, intravenous tubes): Must be placed in yellow plastic bags or lidded sharps containers. Bag openings need to be tightly sealed, and sharps containers must be labeled "Injurious Waste" to prevent sharp objects from piercing through and leaking.  

- **Pathological waste** (e.g., surgically removed tissues, placentas, animal test specimens): Must be contained in specialized leak-proof and corrosion-resistant containers; refrigerated temporary storage is required if necessary.  

- **Injurious waste** (e.g., needles, blades, glass ampoules): Can only be placed in sturdy, puncture-resistant sharps containers, which must be sealed when filled to 3/4 capacity.  

- **Pharmaceutical waste** (e.g., expired pharmaceuticals, discarded vaccines, chemotherapy drugs): Separately placed in brown or yellow sealed bags to prevent leakage of pharmaceutical ingredients.  

- **Chemical waste** (e.g., discarded disinfectants, laboratory waste liquids, mercury sphygmomanometers): Classified based on chemical properties—acidic and alkaline waste stored separately, and mercury-containing waste recycled independently.  

All containers must be affixed with a unified "Medical Waste" label, indicating the generating unit, date, category, and weight. This is equivalent to "issuing an ID card" to each batch of waste, ensuring full-process traceability.  

Step 2: On-Site Temporary Storage – Setting Up "Temporary Safety Transfer Stations" for No More Than 48 Hours  

After classification and collection, medical waste is transported by designated personnel (wearing protective clothing, gloves, and goggles) to the hospital’s "medical waste temporary storage point" using dedicated transfer vehicles (sealed, leak-proof, and equipped with disinfection devices). This storage point is not an ordinary warehouse; it has strict construction requirements:  

- Must be far from medical areas, canteens, residential areas, and water sources; additionally, it must be well-ventilated, anti-seepage, rodent-proof, and insect-proof.  

- Temperature must be controlled at 0–4°C (for pathological waste and other items requiring low-temperature temporary storage) or room temperature (for other waste) to prevent bacterial growth.  

- Strict time limit for temporary storage: Routine medical waste must be stored for no more than 48 hours, while special waste such as pathological waste can be stored for a maximum of 24 hours—avoiding increased risks from long-term storage.  

The temporary storage point is also equipped with disinfection equipment. The floor, walls, and transfer vehicles are disinfected daily, and staff must wash hands and disinfect after each operation to eliminate cross-infection.  

Step 3: Professional Transportation – Full "Closed-Loop Monitoring" to Prevent Mid-Transit Leakage  

When medical waste reaches the temporary storage limit or the scheduled transportation time, qualified third-party medical waste disposal enterprises will send dedicated vehicles to collect it on-site. The transportation link has three "strict rules":  

- **Dedicated vehicles**: Transfer vehicles must be sealed models registered with environmental protection departments, marked with "Medical Waste Transfer" signs. The vehicle compartment is equipped with anti-seepage liners, GPS positioning systems, and video monitoring to track routes in real-time throughout the process.  

- **Strict handover**: Hospitals and disposal enterprises must jointly verify the category, quantity, and label of the waste; loading can only begin after both parties sign for confirmation. Handover records must be kept for at least 3 years.  

- **Fixed routes**: Transfer vehicles must travel along pre-planned routes, avoiding sensitive areas such as schools, residential areas, and drinking water sources. No random stops or loading/unloading of other goods are allowed during travel. In case of leakage, the vehicle must stop immediately, and dedicated tools must be used for cleaning and disinfection to prevent pollution spread.  

In addition, transportation personnel must hold health certificates to work, wear protective clothing, masks, goggles, and non-slip boots throughout the process. After each transportation trip, vehicles must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before reuse.  

## Step 4: Centralized Disposal – Four Core Processes to Achieve "Harmlessness"  

Medical waste is ultimately transported to a professional "Centralized Medical Waste Disposal Center," which is the key link to achieving "harmlessness." Based on the category and characteristics of the waste, the disposal center adopts four mainstream processes:  

1. **Incineration**: High-Temperature Inactivation of High-Risk Waste  

For high-risk waste such as infectious and pathological waste, the "high-temperature incineration method" is used—waste is fed into an incinerator at temperatures above 850°C. High-temperature combustion destroys the protein structure of pathogens and decomposes toxic and harmful substances. During incineration, flue gas must undergo multiple treatment processes such as "deacidification, dust removal, and activated carbon adsorption" to ensure emissions meet national standards. The incineration residue (accounting for approximately 5%–10% of the original weight) is sent to the solidification workshop, where it is solidified with materials such as cement before being transported to a dedicated hazardous waste landfill for burial.  

2. **High-Temperature Steam Sterilization**: Suitable for Infectious Waste  

For infectious waste without pathological or chemical components (e.g., used intravenous tubes, masks), the "high-temperature steam sterilization method" is adopted—waste is placed in a sealed sterilizer and treated at a high temperature and pressure of 134°C and 0.2 MPa for more than 30 minutes. Steam penetration destroys pathogens. After sterilization, the waste is crushed and then sent to a domestic waste incineration plant or landfill for disposal, achieving reduction and harmlessness.  

3. **Chemical Disinfection**: For Liquid and Partial Solid Waste  

For liquid waste generated in laboratories (e.g., pathogen-containing culture solutions) or small amounts of solid waste (e.g., contaminated gauze), the "chemical disinfection method" is used—disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide are added to kill pathogens through chemical reactions. The disinfected liquid must be treated to meet discharge standards before being released, while the solid waste is disposed of in accordance with routine procedures.  

4. **Microwave Disinfection**: Efficient Inactivation of Low-to-Medium Risk Waste  

Microwave disinfection is suitable for low-to-medium risk infectious waste (e.g., discarded medical gloves, bed sheets). Its principle is to use the thermal and non-thermal effects of microwaves to make water molecules in the waste vibrate and generate heat, while destroying the cell membranes and nucleic acids of pathogens to achieve inactivation. After treatment, the waste is also crushed before disposal. Its advantages include low energy consumption, no secondary pollution, and high treatment efficiency.  

Step 5: Full-Process Supervision + Public Supervision – Fortifying the Safety Defense Line  

To ensure no "breaks" in the entire process, China has established a multi-department collaborative supervision system: Ecological and environmental departments are responsible for reviewing the qualifications of disposal enterprises and supervising the compliance of disposal processes with environmental standards; health departments supervise the classification and temporary storage links in hospitals; transportation departments regulate the qualifications of transfer vehicles and routes. At the same time, all medical waste disposal enterprises must be connected to the "National Medical Waste Information Management Platform," and data from each step of the process (category, quantity, time, responsible person) must be uploaded in real-time to achieve "full-process verifiability and controllability."  

For the public, if suspected medical waste (e.g., discarded needles, blood-stained cotton swabs) is found outside hospitals, do not touch it yourself—you can report it to the local ecological and environmental department (hotline: 12369) or health department. When seeking medical treatment, you can also pay attention to whether hospitals have standardized medical waste classification and participate in supervision together.  

Medical waste treatment may seem like a "trivial matter at the back end," but it is actually a "major issue" for safeguarding public health and ecological security. From classification and collection to centralized disposal, the strict standardization of every link is aimed at blocking risks and protecting everyone. This "full-process safety net" requires the joint efforts of medical institutions, disposal enterprises, supervision departments, and the public to safeguard.