Hesperian Health Guides
Get rid of wastes safely
| body wastes | sharp wastes | other wastes |
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| like blood, stool, or placenta |
like needles for sewing or syringes | like used plastic gloves |
These wastes carry germs and can spread infections to you and to people in the family and community. Wear gloves when you touch wastes, and get rid of them carefully.
Body wastes
The simplest way to dispose of body wastes is to put them in a latrine or to bury them deep in the ground.
In many communities, families bury the placenta, sometimes with other special objects. Burying the placenta is an important ritual for many people, and is
Sharp wastes
Sharp wastes must be put into a container so they will not injure anyone who finds them. A container made of metal or heavy plastic, with a lid or tape to close it, works well.
When the container is half full, add bleach if possible, then seal it closed and bury it deep in the ground.
Make a box to dispose of needles safely
Find a metal or hard plastic box. Make a long hole in the lid of the box that is wide on one side and gets narrower on the other side.
When you have finished using a disposable syringe, put the needle into the box and slide it down to the narrowest point.
Then pull up on the syringe and the needle will fall off into the box. The plastic syringe can be sterilized and thrown into a waste pit (see below).
Other wastes
Other wastes, like plastic gloves, syringe barrels, or cloth soaked in blood, should be sterilized and then buried deep in the ground. You can sterilize them by soaking them in bleach for 20 minutes.
WARNING! Do not burn plastic gloves, syringes, or any other plastics. Burning plastic wastes is dangerous — when plastic burns, it makes smoke and ash that is very poisonous.
Burying wastes
Find a place away from where people get their drinking water and away from where children play. Dig a safe waste pit to bury wastes.
A safe waste pit
- Dig a pit 1 to 2 meters wide and 2 to 5 meters deep. The bottom of the pit should be
at least 1 meter above the water table. - Line the inside of the pit with a layer of clay or rocks at least 10 centimeters thick.
- Build up a ridge of earth around the top of the pit to prevent surface water from running in.
- Build a fence around the area where the pit is located to keep animals out.
Each time waste is put in the pit, cover the waste with 10 centimeters of soil, or a mix of soil and lime. Lime helps disinfect the waste, and will also keep animals away while the pit is in use.
When the waste rises to ½ meter from the surface, cover it with ½ meter of soil and seal it with a layer of concrete at least 90 centimeters thick. If the pit is used only for medical waste and not for regular garbage, it will not fill up too quickly.
