Waste management: A social Perspective A study with reference to hazardous biomedical waste

With the economic development, the quantity of waste is increasing rapidly. The total quantities of municipal solid waste (MSW), industrial solid waste (ISW), and hazardous waste (HW) have become a threat to the environment. The sustainability of a healthy environment demands freedom from all kinds of waste whatever the source the waste has originated. In this regard though there are many ways and means to keep the environment pollution free from such effluents which originate from different modes and have different bearing upon environment disposal of certain effluents like those of biomedical is difficult to manage.Biomedical waste consists of solids, liquids, sharps and laboratory waste that are potentially infectious or dangerous and are considered bio-waste. The biomedical waste produced in the course of health care activities carries a higher potential for infection and injury than any other type of waste. Inappropriate handling of biomedical waste may have serious public health consequences and a significant impact on the environment. It must be properly managed to protect the general public, specifically healthcare and sanitation workers who are regularly exposed to biomedical waste as an occupational hazard.The present paper proposes to focus on biomedical waste - its different types, hazards associated and strategies for purifying the environment from such waste which degrade the environment. The implications and suggested remedies would help in liberalizing environment from such harmful effluents.