Evaluation of the environmental situation of medical wastes in Libya

Since the 1990s, pharmaceutical pollution has started to appear widely in our environment. In many countries of the world, researches have started to eliminate this type of pollution. Some of the pharmaceutical pollution consists of expired drugs. As Libya, a country that has experienced conflict and war for a while, it produces 1.2 tons/year of medical waste every year, and most of these wastes originate from private, state hospitals and pharmacies. The steps to reduce and remove this type of pollution are abatement, reuse and recycling, proper disposal. On the other hand, medical wastes are divided into different categories within themselves: Wastes with infection potential, pathological wastes, sharp and penetrating wastes, pharmaceutical wastes, cytotoxic wastes, chemical wastes, radioactive wastes and non-hazardous wastes. This study focuses on 405 samples, starting from Ejdabia and ending in Tobrok (Figure 3.1). The sample includes 15 hospitals, 29 outpatient clinics, 29 private medical centers, 235 pharmacies and 90 medical stores. As a result, medical wastes originating from hospitals are increasing, the amount of waste produced from clinics is 3.5 kg/day per person, and their annual tonnage is approximately 563 tons.