Appropriate disposal of waste in the laboratory: Neglected but not forgotten.

Abstract

Copyright: © 2022. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Laboratory waste management should focus on environmental and worker safety in a costeffective manner to ensure ongoing diagnostic testing in accredited laboratories, especially in lowand middle-income countries with limited resources.1 For example, facilities focusing on Mycobacterium tuberculosis generate biosafety level three infectious material that must be decontaminated and disposed of correctly to maintain good laboratory practice within a legislative framework.2 Therefore, a holistic outline to support sustainable waste management in the laboratory is essential. This may include various components, such as waste disposal awareness campaigns, keeping abreast of technological advances,3 or implementing managerial policies. In this letter, we discuss practical suggestions for appropriately disposing of different waste types generated in most laboratories, with specific reference to a high-throughput, public, M. tuberculosis diagnostic laboratory.