LPA Biosafety Essentials: Waste Disposal

Biomedical Waste Management is an essential biosafety component of TB containment laboratories. All infectious materials should be decontaminated, incinerated, buried or autoclaved.

The following materials are suitable for waste disposal by autoclaving:

• All positive TB cultures 
• Mycobacterial cultures 
• All infectious materials from TB-containment laboratories where mycobacterial culture is performed

In laboratories where the risk of infection with TB is low, plastic sputum containers, cartridges used for molecular analysis - Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) and Line Probe Assay (LPA) - (CBNAAT cartridges, TrueNAT chips, used tips, droppers, reagents, other consumables) and wooden applicator sticks, should be removed from the laboratory in sealed disposal bags and incinerated.  

Important considerations for waste disposal

• Any materials that are reused must be decontaminated with a suitable disinfectant or autoclaved before being removed from the laboratory.
• All infectious waste should be soaked in appropriate disinfectant (5% phenol/ 1% sodium hypochlorite) and discarded in the bio-safety disposal bins.
• The bio-medical waste should be segregated into containers.
• Colored plastic bags should be used as per the Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB, 2021 Guidelines, at the point of generation​. 
• The authorized person should maintain records related to the generation, collection, reception, storage, transportation, treatment, disposal or any other form of handling of bio-medical waste, for a period of five years. ​ 
• Waste should be disposed off according to the Bio Medical Waste Guidelines, 2019. 

Resources

• Guidelines for PMDT in India, 2021. 
• Central Pollution Control Board: Waste Management and Handling Rules.

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