Medical equipment is a term used to describe every piece of equipment used in healthcare facilities related to medical procedures. We must say that there are a wide range of device, machines and items that are considered medical equipment. Medical equipment can be divided into several groups:
– Treatment equipment – LASIK machines, medical lasers, infusion pumps
– Diagnostic equipment – PET scanners, CT scanners, ultrasound, x-ray machines
– Medical monitors – blood pressure monitors, EEG and ECG monitors
– Life support equipment – ECMO, anesthetic machines, dialysis machines
Of course, there are few other groups of medical equipment with a wide range of items. What all these pieces of equipment have in common besides the fact that they are very helpful to patients is the fact that they can be quite dangerous when they become waste.
Medical equipment becomes waste when it is no longer used because it is outdated or broken. Technology is making fast progress these days and every electronic device is upgraded and replaced with newer, more efficient one and medical equipment is not an exception. There are many healthcare facilities that treat medical equipment waste in the same way as regular waste, but they are wrong. This is a specific type of waste that must be treated separately. This is not only a duty for every organization because it keeps our planet safe from pollution, but there are state laws that regulate the entire procedure starting from removal to processing and disposal.
The truth is that there is no federal legislation that forces healthcare facilities to recycle medical equipment. However, Medical Equipment Recycling is Obligatory as per State’s Laws. Of course, there are certain states that allow healthcare organizations to throw their used and malfunctioning medical equipment in landfills, but in the past few years more and more states are starting to emphasize environmental responsibility by strictly banning the disposal of medical equipment in landfills because numerous scientific studies have confirmed the negative effect that this type of waste has on the health and environment.
More than two dozen of states have banned medical waste from landfills and incinerators. At the same time, few other states are focused on designing and passing new laws and regulations related to this matter. Some of them are also upgrading and improving existing laws.
But, what makes Medical Equipment Recycling is Obligatory as per State’s Laws? Why is this so important? The answer is quite simple – recycling is the only form of waste processing and disposal that is safe for the environment. There is a small chance of pollution, but this level is incomparable to the damage caused by landfill disposal. When medical equipment is left untreated and unprocessed in landfills it pollutes everything around it – the soil, the water and the air. On the other hand, medical waste disposal and recycling conducted by a professional company guarantees smart use of the valuable compounds found in medical waste and taking good care of the dangerous chemicals and materials.
