Full EPA Healthcare Waste Compliance at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Published July 19, 2025

Healthcare

100

Regulatory Compliance Rate

800

Hazardous Waste Handled Monthly

240

people

Staff Trained

The Challenge

Clinical and general waste streams at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital were being mixed at the point of disposal, creating serious regulatory and public health risk. Yellow clinical waste bags intended for incineration were regularly found in general waste bins, while sharps containers were being placed alongside domestic refuse. Ghana EPA had flagged the hospital in a national healthcare waste compliance audit. Staff across multiple wards had received no formal training on waste segregation protocols under EPA's Healthcare Waste Management Guidelines.

Our Solution

PCM designed a segregated waste management system specific to healthcare settings: red-lidded bins for clinical waste, yellow-lidded bins for infectious materials, blue for general, and dedicated sharps container stations at all nursing points. Monthly hazardous and clinical waste removal was contracted to EPA-licensed disposal, with a documented chain-of-custody from collection to incineration. PCM's environmental team delivered a structured waste segregation training programme to 240 hospital staff across nursing, porter, and facilities roles. Monthly compliance reporting was included in the service contract.

The Results

Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital achieved full compliance with EPA's Healthcare Waste Management Guidelines within three months of PCM's implementation. Over the following 18 months, the hospital received zero regulatory citations — a first in a decade of audit records. Monthly hazardous waste removal averaged 800kg, all properly documented and disposed of by licensed incineration. The structured training programme has since been embedded into the hospital's new staff induction process.