IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i10p4325-d1652734.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advancing Sustainable Medical Waste Management: A Case Study on Waste Generation and Classification in a University Hospital Microbiology Laboratory

Author

Listed:
  • Ender Çetin

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, 34320 Istanbul, Türkiye)

  • Ahmad Hussein

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, 34320 Istanbul, Türkiye)

  • Sevgi Güneş-Durak

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering-Architecture, Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, 50300 Nevsehir, Türkiye)

Abstract

Effective medical waste management is crucial for minimizing environmental contamination, protecting occupational health, and advancing sustainability goals in healthcare systems. However, microbiology laboratories remain underexplored in waste characterization studies, despite their potential to contribute to sustainable healthcare operations. This study assessed waste generation patterns, classification accuracy, and the impact of training on regulatory compliance in a university hospital microbiology laboratory. Over 45 days, waste from six specialized units was categorized and weighed daily. A survey of 304 healthcare professionals evaluated their knowledge of medical waste handling. Statistical analyses revealed that training frequency (R 2 = 0.72, p < 0.01) was the most significant predictor of compliance, while years of experience had no measurable impact. On average, the laboratory generated 22.78 kg/day of medical waste, 11.67 kg/day of liquid waste, and 5.61 kg/day of sharps waste, with the bacteriology unit being the largest contributor. Despite adequate general awareness, 15% of staff misclassified hazardous waste—particularly expired pharmaceuticals and cytotoxic vials—indicating critical gaps in practice. The findings support the need for recurring training programs, stricter monitoring systems, improved waste labeling, and the integration of digital tracking tools. These interventions can reduce environmental burdens, enhance healthcare sustainability, and support the development of more resilient waste management systems in medical institutions. Future research should explore how AI and automation can further strengthen sustainable healthcare waste strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ender Çetin & Ahmad Hussein & Sevgi Güneş-Durak, 2025. "Advancing Sustainable Medical Waste Management: A Case Study on Waste Generation and Classification in a University Hospital Microbiology Laboratory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4325-:d:1652734
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4325/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4325/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mokete Motlatla & Thelmah Xavela Maluleke, 2021. "Assessment of Knowledge about Healthcare Risk Waste Management at a Tertiary Hospital in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. C. R. Vishnu & E. N. Anilkumar & R. Sridharan & P. N. Ram Kumar, 2023. "Statistical characterization of managerial risk factors: a case of state-run hospitals in India," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 60(2), pages 812-834, June.
    2. Çelik, Sefa & Peker, İskender & Gök-Kısa, A. Cansu & Büyüközkan, Gülçin, 2023. "Multi-criteria evaluation of medical waste management process under intuitionistic fuzzy environment: A case study on hospitals in Turkey," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4325-:d:1652734. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.