How Hazardous Waste Differs From Biohazardous Waste
You would have seen various hospitals, nursing homes, medical laboratories and tattoo parlors etc. discarding a certain amount of waste. What do you consider this to be?
Well, according to the experts, this is a form of hazardous waste and is also known as biohazardous waste. Plus, these are handled by expert biohazardous waste disposal agencies only.
Do you know the difference between hazardous and biohazardous waste? Let us inform you about this:

· Hazardous Waste: The waste which contains some dangerous elements in the form of chemicals, contaminants, heavy metals, radioactive products is known as hazardous waste. It could be either solid, liquid or gaseous in nature and may emerge from any known or unknown source such as industries, factories, chemical plants etc.
· Biohazardous Waste:Biohazardous waste mostly emerges out from of the healthcare centers, pathologies, medical offices, laboratories and tattoo parlors etc. They may also be either solid, liquid or gaseous in state and are said to affect the living organisms directly.
So What’s The Difference?
You may wonder that both these elements exist in all three states of matters and appear almost similar too. So how do they differ from each other?
Here is a list of some of the differences between hazardous and biohazardous wastes:
Point of Emergence:
Biohazardous waste emerges normally from human or animal healthcare centers and may also be known by the names such as infectious waste, biohazard, medical waste, biological waste, red bag waste, and pathological waste etc.
Hazardous wastes emerge from various sources such factories, industries, various laboratories, radioactive testing centers and similar other places.
Potential Harms:
Hazardous wastes directly harm the environment including air, water, and soil etc. When they are negligently discharged, they affect the environment quality and thus pose harm to the health of the living beings through the food they consume, water they drink and the air they inhale.
Biohazardous wastes could directly affect the living beings. They contain potentially dangerous elements such as contaminated sharps which transmit infectious viruses instantly. Besides, they also contain other infectious elements which may slowly degrade the environment and human health.
Disposal Methods:
Biohazardous waste is normally disposed with the help of biohazard waste disposal companies who are licensed and insured agencies to help the healthcare centers.
The waste generated is treated first and then disposed of at a distant and secluded area.
Hazardous waste may be treated instantly by the discharging industry through various methods. Though there are no specialized waste management agencies for hazardous wastes, it is essential to dispose it with proper care so that it does not harm the environment.