Medical Waste Containers

Medical waste containers are durable and germ-resistant

All health care and medical supplies for facilities and hospitals have to be robust to stand up to demanding use, whether by practitioners or maintenance staff. Health care disposal containers have to be strong enough to accept a lot of different waste materials in patient settings, so they’re constructed of galvanized steel with a stainless steel or powder-coated outer shell to make them resistant to the propagation of germs. The outer shells are also easy to wipe down with germicidal towelettes.

Medical waste containers accept biohazard material

Some patient settings in practice or hospital facilities require the disposal of blood or bodily fluids that are potential biohazards. The inner linings of health care disposal containers are either the untreated galvanized steel that forms the shell of the containers or a rigid plastic sleeve. Both meet OSHA standards for the containment of blood and fluid-borne pathogens. Many containers also accept biohazard liners of different sizes to dispose of pathogenic waste.

Health care disposal containers come in various sizes

Different facility settings require more or less capacity for various types of medical waste disposal. Containers come in a variety of sizes, including the following:

• 1-gallon or 3-gallon containers
• 5 or 7-gallon containers
• 12-gallon containers
• 24-gallon containers
• 40-gallon containers

Smaller containers are suitable for patient-use bathrooms. Medium sizes are for patient resident, treatment, and exam rooms. Large sizes are suitable for high-volume areas like ICUs and operating rooms.

Medical waste containers protect users

Containers for medical waste have two safeguards for those who dispose of waste and those who clean up the disposed waste afterwards. One is a foot-pedal opener, so users and cleaners don’t have to touch the lid to get access to the interior of the container. The other is a damper-controlled lid so it doesn’t slam shut after the foot pedal is released, potentially splattering any waste that may linger on the rim. Damper controls also mute the sound of closing the lid, maintaining the environmental comfort of patients as clean-up crews do their job.

Containers also provide other conveniences

Most medical waste containers come with a retaining ring that keeps liner bags securely in place even if heavyweight waste goes into the container. Many containers also have nylon base rings or nylon-shielded base feet to make them easy to move into place during procedures and to protect the finish of facility floors.