Medical or biomedical waste is generated by healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, surgical units, doctor’s offices, laboratories and veterinary hospitals.

The term "medical waste" actually includes several different waste types such as infectious, pathological, genotoxic, sharps and also general/administrative waste including food service waste and disposable packaging.

The general/administrative waste usually amounts to about 80% of the waste volume and if strictly segregated from the other special waste types, can be disposed of as regular MSW.

However, special waste must be treated separately to assure that no harm is caused to personnel and patients as well as the general public. Several methods are employed in treating MW, including incineration, autoclaving/sterilization, microwave radiation and chemical disinfecting.

With the exception of incineration, all the other methods can treat only specific waste types and leave behind virtually all the original waste volume, which needs to be shredded for disposal in a landfill.

Incineration can treat all special waste types together and reduces the volume to some extent, however, bottom and fly ash (solid residues of Incineration) must be disposed at special disposal sites, since it is classified as a hazardous material containing several toxic pollutants. Incineration also encounters problems with maintaining emission levels that comply with Environmental Regulations (particularly dioxins), even when equipped with state-of-the-art air pollution controls (APC).

PGM Technology can treat all special waste types together, reducing it to the already mentioned vitrified slag, which is inert and completely harmless. Furthermore, emissions regulations are easily met due to the inherent and simple fact of the process not producing pollutants.
PGM Technology is a truly comprehensive solution for medical waste disposal, and is moreover cost competitive with current medical waste treatment costs in OECD countries, thus providing economic and environmental advantages at no extra cost.

PGM facilities of up to 4 - 6 thousand tons per annum of MW throughput capacity will be equipped with only minimal energy recovery systems, such as hot water production, since the scale of such facilities would not justify the extra investment for power generation systems.

Larger facilities of about 20 thousand tons per year of MW throughput capacity, will be equipped with steam based energy recovery systems, either for generating electric power to make it self-sufficient in electricity consumption or, depending on local conditions, using the steam for other healthcare establishment needs.