The improper disposal of medical waste has been a devastating worldwide problem, that directly affects the lives of more than 24 million people yearly as reported by Medpro Group Hathway Company. Despite this information, very few people acknowledge or advocate awareness towards the problem. The insufficient and ineffective laws passed by the government makes the regulations of proper management of medical waste seem like an option, rather than an enforced law. Therefore, as a result, makes the situation irrelevant to society since these regulations remain unenforced. As established by the 1988 Medical Waste Tracking Act, medical waste is any biological product that consists of potentially infectious material, such as waste generated by healthcare facilities. Including sharps, gloves, bandages, or other items that have been in contact with blood. This states that 15% of clinical waste consists of hazardous material which is equivalent to that of a million, meanwhile the rest of the medical waste is deemed non-hazardous without the potential of toxic exposure towards living organisms and the environment. It is estimated that around 24 million cases of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C are reportedly caused by sharps (Medpro Group Hathaway Company). Sharps are medical waste that can pierce or harm anyone’s skin (Sharps Compliance Inc). Although sharps only make up 1% of clinical waste generated yearly, sharps are still considered one of the main sources of infectious disease transmission. Improper disposal of medical waste poses severe dangers to our world. However, there are methods that can help improve the situation with a few solutions, such as methods that can help raise awareness towards the problem, as well as enforcing prevention laws and educating the public.

In relation to the dangers and effects of medical waste, humans are the main reason why improper disposal of medical waste is such a prevalent problem worldwide. But by raising awareness people will be able to understand the importance of properly disposing of medical waste and society will be educated on the precautions that should be taken as a way of managing biomedical waste.

Educating the public is also the main component that can help with the improvement of this situation. It is a necessity to educate the public on the importance of properly managing medical waste, as this can lead to worldwide devastating problems for our future. Which changes the perspective of waste management for current and younger generations.  

Throughout time, few regulation laws have been passed, as the last judiciary law expired since 1988 and is yet to be renewed, which reflects the continuously growing problem of improper disposal of medical waste. Enforcing prevention laws will help the problem of improperly disposing of medical waste by regulating the biohazardous waste and making the topic of properly disposing of clinical waste a common topic to society.

Improper disposal of medical waste is a very evident problem towards society, which can affect humanity and the environment. Although this problem does consist of practical solutions, change isn’t guaranteed unless we as individuals make the decision of acknowledging and raising awareness towards the problem.