Growing volume of medical waste, increasing focus on the management of medical waste, and stringent regulatory framework to manage these wastes safely and in an ecofriendly way are some of the factors driving the medical waste management industry.

Medical waste management market is regulated by several, local, state and federal regulations. There are different rules in place for various types of medical wastes. State and local regulations typically pertain to the labeling, containment, storage, transportation and treatment of medical waste. With the increasing regulatory pressure, the demand for proper management of medical waste is growing from the healthcare facilities as well as commercial businesses.

In the U.S. the government has regulated the medical waste treatment under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA mandates proper disposal of any drug that meets the criteria for being a hazardous waste. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are responsible for identification and employee safe handling of medical waste as well as labelling and containment. The European market is also marked by the presence of stringent rules and regulation for healthcare waste management.

With the growth of healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry particularly in developing markets, the volume of medical wastes (such as, infectious, pathological and cytostatic waste, photochemical waste, offensive waste, old X-ray film, chemicals, solvents, old medicines, sharps, slides/paraffin blocks, and biological safety cabinets) is growing. This is expected to lead to growing demand of state-of-the-art disposal and recycling technologies to facilitate the treatment of all types of healthcare waste, in an efficient and environmentally compatible way, particularly in developed regions of North America and Europe.

The market study provides historical as well the forecast data for various geographies including the U.S., Canada, Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa.