System for tracking medical waste

Abstract

A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.

1 . A system for tracking medical waste, comprising:
 a plurality of containers adapted to hold untreated medical waste,
 wherein said at least one of said containers comprises a tracking device, wherein said tracking device comprises an identification key; 
 wherein the system tracks the movement of said container, based at least in part on the identification key. 
   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising tracking the waste. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one wireless reader. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a wireless tracking station. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a computer to track said container. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an apparatus for weighing said container and untreated medical waste. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to create a manifest that provides suitable tracking information regarding the waste. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second container having a tracking device, the second container adapted to hold treated medical waste. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless tracking operates at radio frequencies. 
   
   
       10 . A sorting system for separating waste into a plurality of containers based on a classification of the waste item, the system comprising:
 a plurality of containers, each of said containers associated with at least one of a plurality of a waste categories;   a waste detector configured to identify waste presented thereto;   a sorting mechanism configured to place waste into one of the containers based on information received from the waste detector;   a sensor configured to determine whether at least one of the containers has waste therein.   
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor is further configured to determine a color of a container. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor comprises an optical sensor. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor comprises a sonic sensor. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor comprises a load cell configured to weigh a container. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the sensor comprises a radiation detector. 
   
   
       16 . A sorting system for separating waste into a plurality of containers based on a classification of the waste, the system comprising:
 a plurality of means for containing medical waste, each of said means for containing medical waste being associated with at least one of a plurality of a waste categories;   a means for identifying waste;   a means for sorting waste into one of the means for containing using information received from the means for identifying waste; and   a means for determining whether at least one of the containers has waste therein.   
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a means for determining whether a quantity of waste items in the container exceeds a threshold level. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a means for detecting a container type. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a means for determining an amount of time elapsed after a determination is made that at least one of the containers has at least one waste item therein.