ENVOMED's Game Changing Technology for Treating Medical Waste Onsite
Envomed's unique technology treats infectious and medical waste before it even leaves the hospital, converting it into standard municipal waste that can be safely drained and buried. Already used in medical institutions in Israel and worldwide, the onsite system is safe, economic and environmentally friendly
Some 15 to 20 percent of medical waste is infectious and potentially dangerous to humankind, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO further calculates that every hospital bed in every high-income country produces 0.5 kg of hazardous medical waste every day — bacterially contaminated used bandages, syringes, needles, i.v. lines, gloves, scalpels, scissors, test tubes and more. Hospital beds in low-income countries contribute a further 0.2 kg per bed per day, and these figures are steadily rising.
Medical waste accumulates rapidly, day by day, making its removal and safe disposal increasingly urgent worldwide. The challenge is complicated by cost, by risks in handling and transporting toxic material and the alarming rate at which landfills are filling.
"Hazardous medical waste comes largely from hospitals, labs and clinics, and its safe disposal requires special treatment," explains Hagai Yehidi, CEO of Envomed. Envomed is a young Israeli company which has developed a unique technology to handle medical waste within the facility where it is created. Owned by Kibbutz Maabarot, Envomed is backed by the more than 30 years of experience and industrial engineering knowhow of its parent company, Maabarot Metal Works Ltd. The way in which most medical institutions currently deal with their dangerous biological, chemical and cytotoxic waste is to have their medical staff discard it in special bins. The bins are then emptied into larger containers in a secure area within the facility, and from here transported to a special waste-treatment site.
A breakthrough in treating medical waste
Envomed's starting point is that transporting contaminated waste across the country is a potential public health risk, and the waste should therefore be treated before it leaves the medical facility. "We strongly believe that medical waste should be 100 percent sterile before it's taken away," says Yehidi. The company's investment in R&D was boosted when COVID-19 thrust issues of contamination and infection to the forefront. "Some four years ago, we perfected our exclusive technology for treating contaminated waste," continues Yehidi. "Our parent company, Maabarot Metal Works, created the device on which it is used. The result: the Envomed80."
How does it work?
"Envomed80 begins by shredding the waste," explains Yehidi. "The particles produced are then sterilized by the powerful biocide Biocetic 45, leaving sterilized waste matter and waste liquid, both of them now safe. The two are then separated, the water channeled through the facility's normal drainage system into the city sewers, and the remaining solids transported to landfill."
Sterilization in 18 minutes
This breakthrough technology sterilizes 80 liters of contaminated medical waste in 18 minutes, says Yehidi. "It's odorless and performed onsite without incurring the public risk of driving toxins and dangerous bacteria along Israel's roads. Added to that is a significant reduction in the overall volume of waste to be disposed of, because it's been shredded and the liquid has been drained off. Israel's Ministry of Health has confirmed that Envomed80's treated medical waste is completely sterile, and has approved our system."
Who at the medical institution operates the machine?
"Envomed80's operation is very straightforward," says Yehidi. "We train an institution employee, who is thereafter responsible for its operation. It's housed in the facility's area designated for contaminated waste."
Already on the world market
Envomed 80 has been available in Israel for the past two years. It is used in Clalit Health Services hospitals along with other medical centers, in contaminated waste disposal sites, and in dairies, food, biotech and hi-tech companies that require particularly high hygiene levels. There is now growing interest in the technology from Europe and Asia, says Yehidi. "It includes medical giants, one of the world's largest medical laboratory chains, hospitals and local health organizations. We're planning to market Envomed80 in the Emirates and the Gulf States through Bahrain and Dubai, as well as in the United States." It comes as little surprise that Envomed has been chosen to represent Israel at the global COP28 climate change conference to be held in Dubai this December. In development is a smaller version of the Envomed80 for smaller medical centers. "Our goal," says Yehidi, "is to integrate our unique, safe and cost-effective technology into every medical institution, everywhere, no matter its size."
in collaboration with Envomed
