REVISITING THE CIRCULAR MANAGEMENT OF HEALTHCARE WASTE: THE 10R CIRCULAR ECONOMY HIERARCHY

This is a position paper to support the application of the Circular Economy (CE) hierarchy to management of healthcare waste (HCW). This hierarchy is based on the 10R typology and includes the strategies Refuse, Reduce, Resell/Reuse, Repair, Reprocess, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover (energy). Disposal was added as a sink of residues from the CE strategies. The need for this hierarchy and its comparison with other similar systems is presented. In the author’s view, the 10R hierarchy proposed in this paper is best suited for circular management of HCW, but indicative risks, knowledge gaps and policy recommendations must be addressed. End-of-pipe treatment and disposal would be required for the downgraded infectious fraction of HCW.