The limited scientific information about infectious
waste, and the heightened public awareness of this
special component of the waste stream, have contributed
to the implementation or strengthening of the regulations
in this area. This paper proposes a general working definition
of infectious waste, and describes the systems used to
limit its potential occupational and public health impacts.
Although incineration and autoclaving are the most widely
used methods of treating infectious waste, the introduction
of more stringent air-quality standards for incinerators, and
the inherent limitations to the application of autoclaves,
have created a demand for other methods of processing
this segment of the solid and liquid waste streams.