438 Health Care Waste
Burying Health Care Waste
Burial pits are useful for disposing of sharps, body parts, and expired
medicines. Try not to fill waste pits with materials that can be composted
(such as food waste), reused (some glass and plastic materials), or put in a
landfill after disinfection (plastics, cloth, bandages).
If there is waste collection and a landfill nearby, disinfected waste can be
collected and safely buried there. If there is not, consider building small waste
pits at the health center to make sure waste is safely buried. Because sharps
are the most dangerous wastes, it is always best to bury needles and other
sharp tools in a safe pit at the health center.
Burying waste is safest when everyone who handles the waste understands
and follows the process.
Safe waste pits
For a waste pit to be safe, it should be located downhill from nearby wells, in an
area where the groundwater is not near the surface, and at least 50 meters from
rivers, streams, springs, and other water sources. Pit sides and bottoms should be
lined with clay to prevent liquids from passing into the soil
and groundwater. The pit should be well‑marked and have
a fence around it to keep people and animals out.
50 meters from
any water
50 meters from
buildings
Locking
gate
50 meters downhill
from a well
Use the 50 meter rule when you dig a pit to bury wastes.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012