Community Solutions 447
Community Solutions
Some systems of waste collection, treatment, storage, transportation, and
disposal are more costly than many health centers can afford. But if several
centers in a region share resources, together they can create a waste handling
system that is safer and more complete than any could do on their own.
And if they can coordinate their purchases of supplies, they can better influence
suppliers to offer health care supplies that produce less dangerous waste.
If your health center does not have an autoclave and a safe waste pit,
wastes can be disinfected, separated into safe containers, and transported
to a center that has a safe waste pit or sanitary landfill. A regional system
of sharps collection, transport, and disposal can be organized to serve many
health posts in both urban and rural areas.
If there is municipal waste collection in the area, disinfected waste can be
collected and sent to the landfill. And toxic wastes can be sent to the toxic
waste site (if there is one). If there is no waste collection in the area, consider
working toward a community solid waste system (see Chapter 18). Which
methods your center uses depends on what your resources are and what
works best for you.
What happens in the health center eventually touches everyone in the community.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012