This article argues that plastics ought to be included under the category of ‘hazardous’ healthcare waste and suggests that health professionals should strive for alternatives as part of their mission to improve health. The focus of this paper is on replacing, rather than recycling, plastics. The rationale for this stance stems from the unbridled escalation of plastics use, the fact that few countries have significant recycling capacity, and because the process of recycling as well as the end products of recycled plastics remain hazardous to health and the environment. Issues related to incinerated plastic, plastics in single-use items, plastic blister packs and containers for medicines, as well as plastics which are unrelated to healthcare but which nevertheless make up a substantial part of general healthcare waste are discussed. Suggestions are put forward to dramatically reduce plastics in all such cases. To support needed reforms and to guide best practice for single-use plastics in particular, a call for a reliable reference source is made—similar to the Essential Medicines Lists, which would share updated information on the most problematic items in use and environmentally friendly alternatives in each case. It is argued that concerted action by health professionals to improve healthcare waste, beginning with plastics, would send much needed market signals to industry to produce environmentally-friendly products for healthcare and would likely lead to solutions for domestic waste, too.

中文翻译：

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清理医疗废物中的塑料：领导力的变革潜力

本文认为，塑料应归入“危险”医疗废物类别，并建议卫生专业人员应努力寻找替代品，作为其改善健康使命的一部分。本文的重点是更换塑料，而不是回收塑料。这种立场的理由源于塑料使用的肆无忌惮的升级，很少有国家具有强大的回收能力，以及回收过程和回收塑料的最终产品仍然对健康和环境有害。讨论了与焚烧塑料、一次性物品中的塑料、塑料泡罩包装和药品容器以及与医疗保健无关但仍占一般医疗废物很大一部分的塑料的相关问题。在所有这些情况下，都提出了大幅减少塑料的建议。为了支持必要的改革并特别指导一次性塑料的最佳实践，呼吁提供可靠的参考来源——类似于基本药物清单，它将分享有关使用中最成问题的物品和环保替代品的最新信息在每种情况下。有人认为，卫生专业人员采取一致行动改善医疗废物，从塑料开始，将向行业发出急需的市场信号，以生产用于医疗保健的环保产品，并可能导致家庭废物的解决方案。呼吁提供可靠的参考来源——类似于基本药物清单，它将分享有关使用中最有问题的物品和每种情况下的环保替代品的最新信息。有人认为，卫生专业人员采取一致行动改善医疗废物，从塑料开始，将向行业发出急需的市场信号，以生产用于医疗保健的环保产品，并可能导致家庭废物的解决方案。呼吁提供可靠的参考来源——类似于基本药物清单，它将分享有关使用中最有问题的物品和每种情况下的环保替代品的最新信息。有人认为，卫生专业人员采取一致行动改善医疗废物，从塑料开始，将向行业发出急需的市场信号，以生产用于医疗保健的环保产品，并可能导致家庭废物的解决方案。