Vol. 454 No. 1
88 Mr. E. Ryan asked the Minister for Health the policy, if any, he has in relation to the incineration of hospital waste; the views if any, he has on incineration-on-site at hospitals or regional incinerations; the further views, if any, he has on whether incineration has a future in the disposal of hospital waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10308/95]
Limerick East): The policy of the Department is that the waste arising in hospitals should be segregated into its component parts and that the most appropriate disposal method be applied to each waste stream.
The first segregation is into domestic type waste and healthcare risk waste. The former, accounting for up to 80 per cent of the waste, should follow the municipal waste disposal route. The healthcare risk waste is that which requires special treatment and its major components are infectious waste and sharps. The Department has proposed to the health agencies a disposal strategy which recommends that these categories of waste should be shredded and disinfected and then disposed of to landfill. Implementation of this strategy implies the phasing out of existing on-site hospital incinerators.
