Global household infectious waste management strategies: a systematic review

Infectious waste management is a major environmental and public health challenge worldwide. Household infectious wastes are often mixed with other waste, collected, and disposed of without taking measures to reduce risks. With the emergence of the COVID-19 virus in early December 2019, there have been concerns about the dangers of infectious waste generated in healthcare facilities and homes. Therefore, this review was conducted with the aim of investigating the methods of household infectious waste management in different countries/regions and evaluating the factors affecting the management of household infectious waste. In this study, we conducted a systematic literature search in four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest) to answer the research questions. This process was based on the new version of PRISMA guidelines. In total, 52 documents out of 6742 were selected and evaluated. The review of studies based on content analysis led to the emergence of 12 main themes, 36 sub-themes, and 112 codes. The main topics included education and culture, management measures, legal social support, economic support, technology, control and evaluation, waste generation, classification and collection, temporary storage, transportation, processing and recycling, and safe disposal. The factors affecting household infectious waste management identified in this research can serve as a basis for future studies. It is also suitable for providing a comprehensive guide to the management of household infectious waste.

Graphical abstract