Decarbonising medical waste management

Decarbonising medical waste management

On-site pyrolysis offers hospitals a practical pathway to reduce emissions, recover resources and support the circular economy. Thanasis Demosthenous explains. Hospitals are essential to public health but are also resource-intensive organisations. Energy use, pharmaceuticals, single-use materials, logistics, and waste management all contribute to healthcare’s environmental footprint. Infectious medical waste is often treated primarily as a compliance issue, despite also representing a carbon and circular- economy challenge. In many healthcare systems, infectious and hazardous waste is collected, temporarily stored, transported to external facilities, and treated through centralised high-temperature processes such as incineration. Although well established, this remains a linear model, relying on waste transport and disposal while embedding emissions, costs, and operational dependence within the system.