Water New Zealand Web Forum

Roger Long · Joined: 26 Nov 2009 Posts: 2

What is the approach of other councils to allowing liquid waste from hospital operating theatres into their wastewater systems?
The options are that this material (which we would have to assume contains some body fluids) is bagged appropriately for transport to an approved landfill or is allowed to wastewater
Our local hospital is currently disposing of this material by the former method but clearly there is a considerable financial cost to this as well as handling issues
What are the issues (if any) involved in allowing this material into the city wastewater system? The volumes are very small and the dilution factor therefore very high. I dont perceive any additional hazards to workers in the network. Are we in step with other councils if we allow this material into our wastewater system

gary · Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:40 pm Post subject: hospital waste TARANAKI

Operating theatres dispose of liquid waste through the sewer system where as non liquid waste is disposed of off site as as special hazardous waste

Joseph Gielen · Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 10

Our Hospital wastes are treated as a trade waste.
A trade waste consent condition for acceptance of this waste is that all hospital wastes are managed according to The NZ standard NZS 4304:2002 -Management of health care waste; this prescibes the acceptable practices for the disposal of body solids and fluids,sharps,infectious and healthcare wastes as well as cytotoxic and pathological wastes ;all in accordance with Tangata whenua protocol.