Application of life cycle assessment for hospital solid waste management: A case study

Ali, Mustafa; Wang, Wenping; Chaudhry, Nawaz

doi:10.1080/10962247.2016.1196263

Cited by 58 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This would also generate some economic benefits. In fact, according to [32], some different material prices, considering the current exchange rate between Pakistani rupees (Rs) and US dollars ($) are: US$0.30/kg for plastic; US$0.07/kg to US$0.08/kg for paper; US$ 0.08/kg for glass; US$0.35/kg to US$ 0.40/kg for metal. Expanding the analysis framework of this research, additional lessons could be learnt from other experiences.…”

Section: Comparison With Previous Literature Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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LCA of Hospital Solid Waste Treatment Alternatives in a Developing Country: The Case of District Swat, Pakistan

et al. 2019

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Improper management of hospital waste leads to serious health and environmental issues, particularly in the case of developing countries, where, often, applied technologies are obsolete and there is a lack of compliance with respect to international best practices. The present study is designed to assess the environmental impacts of hospital waste management practices in Swath District, Pakistan. For this purpose, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) is applied for the estimation of different impacts of current and alternative hospital solid waste (HSW) treatment practices. Two scenarios are used to describe the current alternative practices (Scenario A and Scenario B), referring either to incineration or to direct landfilling of HSW without any sorting of collected materials. Conversely, Scenario C, which includes the use of pyrolysis and chemical disinfection, are considered as an up-to-date alternative, based on current international recommendations in this field. Prior to the analysis of impacts, due to the lack of available information, data were directly collected from both government and private hospitals in District Swat, involving measurements and a characterization of collected waste. In parallel, interviews were conducted, involving the hospitals’ personnel. With respect to waste generation, government hospitals produce a larger amount of waste (74%) compared to private hospitals (24%). Poor regulatory indications and the absence of clear obligations for collection, disposal and management still represent a first obstacle to implement good practices. After defining the boundary of the system and the functional unit, according to standardized LCA practices, a life--cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was conducted, considering eight impact categories: human toxicity, freshwater eco-toxicity, marine aquatic eco-toxicity, terrestrial eco-toxicity, acidification potential, climate change, eutrophication and photochemical oxidation. The current practices (Scenario A and Scenario B) turned out to be the worst for all categories. In particular, the largest impact of all is recorded for human toxicity generated by incineration. In parallel, it must be considered that, currently, no recycling or reusing practices are implemented. Conversely, Scenario C (alternative up-to-date practices) would generate lower impacts. In detail, the highest value was recorded for marine aquatic ecotoxicity in relation to pyrolysis. Applying Scenario C, it would be possible to recover some materials, such as plastics, paper and sharps. In detail, considering the observed compositional characteristics, it would be possible to recover up to 78% of sharps and recycle 41% of plastic and paper from the general waste stream. Moreover, energy could be recovered from the pyrolysis process, generating a further benefit for the surrounding area. A lack of awareness, knowledge and infrastructures prevents the application of correct management practices, further degrading life and environmental conditions of this remote region of Pakistan. The huge difference in impacts between current practices and alternatives is demonstrated, showing a clear alternative for future management plans in this remote region and supporting future actions for local policymakers and hospital managers.

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Section: Comparison With Previous Literature Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LCA can be used to track the environmental impact of such activities [18]. In fact, LCA is a useful technique to assist in the assessment of different waste disposal options, based on different waste emissions [32]. It is worth remembering that greenhouse gases emissions from waste management activities are a serious environmental problem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

LCA of Hospital Solid Waste Treatment Alternatives in a Developing Country: The Case of District Swat, Pakistan

et al. 2019

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“…The study of Ali, Wang, & Chaudhry in 2016 in Gujranwala, Pakistan, conducted a case study of solid waste generated from the hospital industry. The authors discussed the prediction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from various waste treatment activities.…”

Section: Uses In Health Service Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limitations of the study were also discussed, which include the following, among others: the options of heat or electricity recovery were not involved in the model; several factors were not used such as the acidification potential, human toxicity, and photochemical oxidant creation; the study focused only on GHG emissions; the practical difficulty of the study was an effective segregation of waste items; and guidance and training were still required for the sanitary staff. One of the suggestions submitted by the authors was that LCC techniques can be used (Ali et al, 2016).…”

Section: Uses In Health Service Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

When Lca Applies to Health Service Industry

Djati¹,

Cahayanti²,

Chairani³

et al. 2018

JESSD

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The health service industry involves activities that provide medical services (hospital), manufacture of medical equipment or drugs, and medical insurance services. Options of research methods to measure the impact of services on environmental aspects are available. One among which is life cycle analysis (LCA), the recently popular practice in Indonesia. This paper attempts to explore whether LCA could be fitted to the health service industry. A literature review would help in procuring related references from various publications accompanied by several research results and related studies. For describing the application of LCA in hospitals, several articles were collected, which were later arranged according to certain systematics from several sources. The LCA methodology used here consists of the following four stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. The stages follow the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and UNEP SETAC, 2011. Several studies using the LCA method in hospitals have reported specific profiles such as the management of biohazardous medical waste (BMW) and waste water. Several studies have also used LCA methods to assess specifically the environmental and health impacts of a specific component of the hospital or hospital activities. For example, studies have assessed the impact of equipment used in the form of containers, catheter, laryngeal mask, gowns and also infrastructures' facilities. The results of this study confirmed that the LCA method is suitable in health service industry, particularly in hospitals. Considering the merits and drawbacks involved in applying this method, one could further apply it to related health service issues.

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“…Apart from the advantages of minimising actual waste disposed, composting is cheaper and has the potential to increase crop yield for poverty reduction among smallholder farmers (Regional Cooperation for Organic Standards and Certification Capacity in East Africa [OSEA], 2015). The low level of compost making by households contributes to higher volumes of disposed waste, hence environmental pollution (Ali, Wang & Chauhdry, 2016). Officials of the District Water and Sanitation Team and Environmental Health Department, also revealed that scrap metal collectors sometimes purchase metallic waste from households.…”

Section: Waste Recyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of Household Solid Waste Management in Nadowli Township in Ghana: A Waste Management Hierarchy Approach

Bukari¹,

Doke²,

Kendie³

et al. 2017

Ghana J. Dev. Stud.

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Application of life cycle assessment for hospital solid waste management: A case study

Cited by 58 publications

References 30 publications

LCA of Hospital Solid Waste Treatment Alternatives in a Developing Country: The Case of District Swat, Pakistan

LCA of Hospital Solid Waste Treatment Alternatives in a Developing Country: The Case of District Swat, Pakistan

When Lca Applies to Health Service Industry

Examination of Household Solid Waste Management in Nadowli Township in Ghana: A Waste Management Hierarchy Approach

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