Evaluation of Healthcare Waste Treatment Methods Using Multiple Criteria

Hospitals generating waste daily need to identify efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable alternatives to conventional disposal methods.Therefore, we formulated a mathematical model to evaluate emerging healthcare waste treatment (HCW) methods by developing a multiple-criteria framework.The framework enables an evidence-based evaluation that supports better HCW management-related decisions in resource-limited settings.Results found that ozone is the optimal method for hospitals with a waste profile mostly made up of infectious and pathological wastes.Methods such as promession, for stricter environmental priorities, and superheated steam, for better performance on all evaluation criteria, may be preferred if hospital priorities shift.