Achieving the sustainable waste management of medical plastic packaging using a life cycle assessment approach.

ABSTRACT: Hospital waste management often classifies all waste, including uncontaminated plastic packaging, as hazardous, leading to incineration as the primary treatment method. While effective for safe treatment, incineration incurs high costs and significant environmental impacts. This study explores an alternative approach through the segregation and sustainable management of plastic packaging waste derived from medical device use to mitigate these environmental consequences. Using a Life Cycle Assessment, this research evaluates and compares the environmental impacts of three waste disposal scenarios of plastic packaging: hazardous waste incineration, general waste landfill, and plastic recycling. The analysis focuses on 1 kg of plastic packaging waste generated from medical devices at the Limb

SUBMITTER: Cho Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11466672 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature