The horrors our naked eyes can’t see; that is what autoclaves are made to destroy. Essentially specialized pressure-cookers times a million, medical grade autoclaves can destroy bacteria and life-threatening diseases that live through medical waste. Both effective and environmentally-friendly, autoclaving is a practice that is elegant in its simplicity. Steaming is considered the most dependable method for sterilizing medical instruments, so it’s no wonder the medical community found a way to use the technology to dispose of medical waste on a larger scale.
MedSharps was one of the first medical waste management companies to offer waste removal services with a large-scale, commercial steam autoclave. Based in Texas with branches throughout the South, MedSharps has perfected the autoclave process of medical waste removal. After bagged medical waste is moved inside the stainless steel autoclave, the door is closed remotely and secured. After air from inside the vessel is removed, it is then evacuated and mixed with steam before being sent to a blowdown tank. More steam is added in the treatment phase, and again temperatures are raised and the pressure increased. After all the steam and pressure are released, the process is done, and an operator removes the bags to be disposed of in a landfill.
The autoclave process has helped hospitals and medical care providers all over the country dispose of their medical waste safely and efficiently. It’s essential for today’s hospitals and medical facilities to include autoclave medical waste removal into their hospital maintenance plan. Failing to do so falls beneath industry standards. The waste removal process has moved so far ahead of the times when medical waste incinerators were the norm for eliminating the hazards of bio-waste. On-site waste treatment is also highly effective, and can save hospitals thousands of dollars better used for improvements elsewhere.
Already an industry leader, MedSharps brought technological innovation to the Texas medical field in 2010 when they introduced their in-house autoclave services. Backed by their secure transport promise, hospitals and medical facilities quickly learned the efficacy and ease behind autoclave waste removal. Each day, MedSharps is able to transport up to 13,500 pounds of medical waste safely. The risk factor of contamination is significantly lower by not having to transport across exceedingly long distances.
Their expert operators make sure each step of the process is compliant with all major Texas state regulatory entities including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) standards, as well as national regulations put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Hospitals and medical facilities can visit MedSharps to get additional helpful information.