The waste working group develops project implementations around the topic of waste.
Waste disposal
An existing problem of many hospitals in countries of the global South is the professional disposal of infectious waste from operations, such as surgical cloths, post-births or used syringes. Often these are buried unburned in pits or burned open. In addition to high odour pollution, heavy rain can wash out toxic combustion residues such as dioxins and acids, which can subsequently enter the groundwater. In addition, the multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms is favored, since open combustion does not necessarily have a disinfectant effect due to low temperatures. Furthermore, buried waste serves as a food source for disease carriers (e.g. dogs, rats). With controlled combustion, the formation of hazardous substances and the spread of pathogens can be greatly reduced. For this purpose, a concept on waste management was developed, which has already been successfully implemented in hospitals in Ghana, Nicaragua, Nepal and other countries. The project involves the systematization of waste separation, the training of hospital staff and the construction of a furnace for the incineration of biomedical waste. This is followed by further supervision of the project through regular reports on the part of the hospital.
The furnaces are built by local personnel under the guidance of Technik ohne Grenzen. The model is based on the DeMontfort furnace and has been specially designed for the incineration of biomedical waste in developing countries and is continuously developed by us. It consists of fireproof bricks, cement and welded structural steel elements. Due to the two-chamber construction and the high combustion temperature of over 800°C, garbage is reliably burned with a low-soot. In particular, the so-called afterburning in the second combustion chamber effectively disinfects the infectious waste and significantly reduces the emission of harmful combustion gases. There is little ash left, which is not infectious. Damp or dry contaminated clothing, plastic materials and organic components are thus rendered harmless to humans and the environment.
Model of the furnace for burning infectious waste
Recycling and waste avoidance
The promotion of recycling and training on waste prevention make an important contribution to environmental and health protection in countries of the Global South. By imparting knowledge about waste separation, recycling and sustainable use of resources, municipalities can protect their environment in the long term and improve quality of life. In our projects, we try to convey this knowledge to schools, for example.