The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has forged a partnership with a private firm in Davao City to address the country’s problems on medical waste management and disposal.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña reported that DOST Region XI partnered with Bluelander Environmental Services during the vaccination drive for government employees in Davao City to address problems on medical waste management and disposal.
The vaccination drive was initiated by the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies in Region XI (ARENA XI)
The DOST chief cited that Bluelander Environmental Services, which is based in Davao, provides affordable and environment-friendly services in medical waste management and treatment to meet the needs of hospitals and clinics.
“They use a technology called “Nitro-sterile” where medical wastes such as used syringes and needles undergo thermal treatment process through sterilization,” he said.
“Nitro-sterile is a US patented machine that sterilizes medical waste in an oxygen-free chamber filled with pressurized high temperature nitrogen that disinfects and shreds medical, clinical, and pathological wastes into a very fine and unrecognizable material,” he explained.
De la Peña said following the sterilization process, the medical waste is disposed to a special waste cell, similar to a sanitary landfill.
"The machine can be an environment-friendly replacement to other technologies such as incinerators, autoclaves, and microwaves which are expensive, energy and water intensive, and dangerous. It is an affordable technology since it uses nitrogen, an inert gas which is cheap and readily available,” he said.
“It does not use burning method and has no odor or emission,” he added.
He cited that BlueLander founder and RADICOR Solutions president Roderick Dayot, an engineer by profession, was named as the Most Outstanding Invention winner during the Regional Invention Contest and Exhibit (RICE) 2015. He received the Second Most Outstanding Invention 2016 during the National Invention Contest and Exhibit (NICE).