Hazardous waste and infectious/ healthcare waste

Hazardous waste is waste that may cause serious contamination to the environment or injury to humans or animals.

Hazardous waste is defined with reference to the regulations concerning chemical products subject to labelling due to health, environmental or fire hazards. This means that hazardous waste includes products containing chemical substances. Waste from art activities can also be hazardous.

Hazardous waste includes substances or preparations classified as dangerous. These could be chemical elements (and their chemical compounds with other elements),  which possess hazardous properties that may cause health, environmental or fire risks. Examples of hazardous waste are chemical products, molding materials, empty gas cylinders, certain types of batteries, etc.

Fluorescent lamps, energy saving bulbs and mercury lamps are also classified as hazardous waste.

See also the Waste Regulations chapter 11.

Units that produce hazardous waste must have established procedures that ensure annual disposal of the waste according to OsloMet's ordering procedures for collection of hazardous waste.

Infectious waste is also referred to as healthcare waste and includes waste from medical or veterinary treatments and /or related education, research and diagnostics. Infectious waste contains viable but nonculturable (VBNC) bacteria  (or their toxins) that may cause disease to humans or other living organisms. This includes:

• Tissue samples, cells, blood, urine, genetically modified organisms and the like that may be infectious or represent other hazards.
• Objects containing biological material, antibiotics and / or cytostatics. Sticking/ cutting objects such as syringes, scalpels, disposable tubes and more.
• Pathological waste; body parts / organs / tissues from animals and humans.
• Waste from airborne infection isolation rooms

Infectious waste is not defined as hazardous waste but as dangerous goods and must be delivered to approved disposal facilities. Infectious waste must not be disposed of along with ordinary waste.

The college's ordering procedures for collection of infectious /healthcare waste must be complied with.

• Ordering procedures for collection of hazardous waste (pdf, in Norwegian)
• OsloMet's waste schemes

• Information site about hazardous waste (norskgjenvinning.no)

• Information site about infectious waste (norskgjenvinning.no)

• Act concerning protection against pollution and concerning waste (Pollution Control Act) (lovdata.no) 
• Regulations relating to the recycling of waste (Waste Regulations) (lovdata.no) 
  • Waste Regulations chapter 11 (lovdata.no)