What does the term ‘End of Pipe Approach’ refer to in healthcare waste management?

The term ‘End of Pipe Approach’ in healthcare waste management primarily refers to treating and disposing of waste once it has already been generated. This approach focuses on managing waste after it has accumulated, rather than on minimizing the creation of waste in the first place. It typically involves processes such as incineration, autoclaving, or landfill disposal, aimed at handling waste in a way that reduces its potential negative impact on health and the environment.

In contrast, preventing waste generation, sorting for recycling, and energy recovery processes represent proactive or alternative strategies that focus on different stages of waste management. For example, preventing waste generation emphasizes minimizing waste at the source, while sorting waste for recycling involves categorizing materials for reuse before they enter an end-of-pipe situation. Energy recovery processes, on the other hand, utilize waste as a resource to generate energy, which is also a more sustainable approach compared to simply treating or disposing of waste.