Newly forged partnership to improve disposal of hazardous medical waste in SA

JOHANNESBURG – A new South African partnership known as Tshenolo Green Solutions (TGS) said on Tuesday it was combining the use of a locally developed on-site waste disposal technology with a comprehensive logistic approach to improve healthcare waste disposal.

In a statement, TGS said the safe and effective management of healthcare waste emanating from hospitals and other healthcare facilities had long been a matter of grave concern locally and internationally.

The World Health Organization says the management of healthcare waste requires increased attention and diligence to avoid exposure to infectious agents.

TGS is a partnership between waste management company Tshenolo Waste and technology firm Tech4Green, developers and manufacturers of a technology that thoroughly shreds and sterilizes potentially hazardous medical waste at the premises of a healthcare facility.

“Tech4Green has spent five years developing, trialling and perfecting the compact ISS T4H 480 system, which is a truly ground-breaking technology able to shred waste into a completely sterile, unrecognisable pulp on the site of a healthcare facility,” said Ivan Mzimela, managing partner of Tech4Green’s  holding company the SpesNet Global Group.

The Tshenolo Green Solutions partnership is an important development in the evolution of healthcare risk waste management in South Africa, according to chief executive officer of Tshenolo Waste, Malusi Molewa. PHOTO: Debbie Yazbek

“This pulp is made free of 99,999999 percent of all known pathogens and can be disposed of as specified by environmental legislation governing healthcare risk waste.”

He said while the system was able to meet the safe healthcare risk waste needs of any hospital, healthcare facility or medical practitioners group onsite, and substantially reduce their carbon footprint, there was a need to provide it as part of a complete end-to-end medical waste management solution for hospital groups and healthcare facilities.

“With an outstanding, almost decade-long, track record in the safe disposal of hazardous medical waste, a complete understanding of the potential risks involved in healthcare waste, and a number of impressive clients nationally, we considered Tshenolo Waste to be a natural partner, “ said Mzimela.

Using a “reduce, re-use and re-cycle” approach, Tshenolo Waste has its roots in the Northern Cape and offers waste management services to public and private health facilities and other clients throughout the country including the South African National Defence Force.

CEO Malusi Molewa said the ISS T4H 480, which has been extensively tested in medical facilities in South Africa and Botswana, would enable TGS to safely treat a minimum of 80 percent of healthcare risk waste onsite.

“As any hospital group will know, the disposal of medical waste, which is usually outsourced, can pose an immense risk on a number of levels,” he said.

“The environmentally friendly and safe disposal of medical waste is therefore a crucial business function and it is one that we at TGS take very seriously.”

– African News Agency (ANA)

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