Critical analysis of brazilian regulations on hospital solid waste

Abstract

The disposal of hospital waste is one of the greatest challenges to the global sustainability of medicine. The dumping of medical waste, both on land and in water bodies, harms the environment as a whole and affects populations worldwide, with particularly severe impacts on vulnerable communities. Most of the solid waste volume generated by hospitals consists of materials that pose no health risk and can potentially be reused. This study aims to demonstrate that current Brazilian legal and regulatory provisions, despite their shortcomings, do not prevent the adoption of more sustainable practices for managing healthcare service waste, in alignment with the National Solid Waste Policy. The method employed was exploratory, involving documentary analysis, bibliographic research, review of scientific articles, legal websites, national legislation, international environmental law treaties and documents, and both national and international doctrine, using deductive reasoning and an argumentative approach. The results show that national regulations focus more on the sanitary aspects of healthcare waste, with limited provisions for low-risk biosafety waste, which represents the majority of the total volume. It is concluded that, even though national regulations lack detailed rules on non-hazardous waste, this should not hinder public authorities and communities from working together to reduce waste generation, in a sustainable approach that aligns with the principles of the National Solid Waste Policy.