Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-Based Greenhouse Gas Emission Estimation for Different Medical Waste Treatment Scenarios in Korea

This study aims to compare and analyze greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with various medical waste treatment methods, outsourced incineration and on-site treatment-by establishing three distinct scenarios in the context of increasing medical waste generation driven by Korea's transition into an aging society.As of 2024, approximately 97% of the medical waste generated in Seoul will be outsourced to specialized incineration facilities located in other regions, with transport distances ranging from 60 to 300 km.By contrast, on-site treatment involves the sterilization and shredding of medical waste using equipment installed in general hospitals, followed by incineration at municipal solid waste incineration facilities and ultimately landfilling of the resulting residues.The baseline scenario assumes that 100% of the medical waste is treated through outsourced incineration.Scenario 1 assumes 100% on-site treatment, whereas Scenario 2 assumes a combination of 70% on-site treatment and 30% recycling of low-risk infectious, recyclable plastic waste.Using a life cycle assessment approach, this study quantified GHG emissions for each scenario to provide fundamental data for improving medical waste management strategies in Korea.