China has historically paid little attention to the proper management
of medical waste, as is the case for many other developing
countries. By the end of 2003, the Ministry of Health had issued the
first official act addressing the control of medical waste under the
waste management act and infectious ill control act, named Medical
Waste Control Act 380 (China Department of State, 2003). The
first act attributes specific responsibilities to the various sectors involved:
generators, sanitation and environment. Act 380 states that
generators are mandated to properly manage medical waste and
that centralized disposal of medical waste is required in China.
The act also specified definitions, principles and the procedures
for collection, transportation, temporary storage and disposal of
medical waste. According to Act 380, medical waste is defined as
any solid waste that is generated by medical treatment facilities
and laboratory facilities operating in hospital settings that is considered
to be potentially hazardous to human health. In the same
year that Act 380 was passed, the Ministry of Health and State
Environmental Protection Administration issued Regulation 287
related to the medical waste category (China Ministry of Health,
2003). According to Regulation 287, waste generated from healthcare
facilities is classified into five main groups, listed in Table 1.