Guidelines for Safe Disposal of Unwanted Pharmaceuticals in and after Emergencies: 3. Sorting categories: 3.1 The objectives of sorting

Guidelines for Safe Disposal of Unwanted Pharmaceuticals in and after Emergencies
(1999; 36 pages) [French] [Spanish]

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
	1.1 Background
	1.2 Prevention of waste from pharmaceutical donations
		Appropriate donations
		Good donations may be wasted
	1.3 The cost of disposal of waste pharmaceuticals
		The cost of waste pharmaceutical high temperature incineration
		Quoted weights of pharmaceutical waste
	1.4 Purpose of the guidelines
		What the guidelines do not cover
	1.5 Who will find the guidelines useful?
	1.6 Administrative aspects of writing-off unwanted pharmaceuticals
	1.7 Steps to be taken
		Decision
		Approval
		Planning
		Forming work teams
		Health and safety of work teams
		Sorting
		Disposal
		Security
	1.8 Consequences of improper disposal or non-disposal
	1.9 Public information
2. Disposal methods
	2.1 Return to donor or manufacturer
		Cross-frontier transfer of pharmaceutical waste
	2.2 Landfill
		Open uncontrolled non-engineered dump
		Engineered landfill
		Highly engineered sanitary landfill
	2.3 Waste immobilization: encapsulation
	2.4 Waste immobilization: inertization
	2.5 Sewer
	2.6 Burning in open containers
	2.7 Medium temperature incineration
		Halogen content of pharmaceutical waste
	2.8 High temperature incineration using existing industrial plants
	2.9 Chemical decomposition
3. Sorting categories
	3.1 The objectives of sorting
		Practical advice on sorting
	3.2 Optimum conditions for sorting
	3.3 Sorting categories
	3.4 Pharmaceuticals and other materials which can still be used
	3.5 Expired or unwanted pharmaceuticals
	3.6 Hazardous or potentially hazardous non-pharmaceutical materials
	3.7 Recyclable material
4. Recommended disposal methods by sorting category
	4.1 Solids, semi-solids and powders
		Anti-infective drugs, controlled drugs and antineoplastics
		Other drugs
	4.2 Liquids
		Pharmaceuticals with no or low toxicity
		Other liquid pharmaceuticals (except controlled drugs, antineoplastics or anti-infective drugs)
	4.3 Ampoules
	4.4 Anti-infective drugs
	4.5 Controlled substances
	4.6 Antineoplastics
		Special treatment for antineoplastics
		Antineoplastic drug disposal
	4.7 Disinfectants
	4.8 Aerosol canisters
References
Further reading
Annex I: Disposal by incineration
Back cover

3.1 The objectives of sorting

The objective of sorting is to separate the pharmaceuticals into categories that require different disposal methods. The appropriate safe disposal method recommended will depend principally on the pharmaceutical dosage form of the drugs. Segregated temporary storage areas or receptacles must be provided for each sorted category.