Management of medical and veterinary waste - legal regulations, threats to people and the environment and methods of disposal

Medical waste is mostly generated by health care centres and veterinary, research and pharmacological facilities as well as laboratories. As the number people using home treatment rises from year to year, and the number of aesthetic medicine offices increases, the problem of potentially hazardous waste affects an increasingly larger population, and can no longer be restricted to the qualified hospital staff. Medical waste falls within the group of hazardous waste since it poses environmental threat of epidemiological contamination with pathogens and pathogenic bacteria. The article presents the classification and properties of medical waste and their impact on the environment. The legal status regarding the utilization of such waste in Poland was discussed as well.