REPORT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A machine which incinerates hazardous medical waste is set to make the disposal process more environmentally friendly, according to a report on Thursday.

The Cape Argus reports that the Newster medical waste steriliser, which is imported by a Cape Town company, grounds infectious material into dry solid waste and sterilises it.

The steriliser, the size of a small washing machine, could dispose of any medical waste, including needles, syringes, glass bottles, bandages, nappies and even body parts.

Unlike autoclaves, the machine was 100 percent green with no toxic emissions.

Medical waste often had to be transported to incinerators, many of which were located on the outskirts of town.

Western Cape health department spokesman Mark van der Heever told the newspaper that the total expenditure for medical waste in the province exceeded R18 million.