詹干预指南：低碳气候适应性废物管理（英）2026

Low Carbon ClimateResilient WasteManagement in theHealth SectorPublic Disclosure Authorized From Foundational Practices to AdvancedClimate Action in Health Care WasteManagement World Bank Health, Nutrition andPopulation Global PracticeMarch 2026Public Disclosure Authorized Introduction Health systems are both vulnerable to climate change and significant contributors to globalgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for an estimated 4.4% of the global total. Wastemanagement is a critical infrastructure and operations component of thehealth sector impactedby climate change, and paradoxically, waste treatment and disposal are themselves drivers of GHGemissions. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that only 30% of health care facilitiesin the least developed countries have basic health care waste management systems in place,highlighting a critical gap between available guidance and on-the-ground implementation. Health care waste includes both hazardous waste, which demands special handling and disposal(infectious, pathological, sharps, chemical, pharmaceutical, cytotoxic, and radioactive waste), andnon-hazardous or general waste. WHO estimates that approximately 15% of the total wastegenerated at a health facility is hazardous and 85% is general waste, yet without propersegregation, the hazardous proportion is frequently treated as much higher. At health facilities inNepal, for example, approximately 92% of waste was classified as hazardous before theimplementation of proper waste segregation; following implementation, the hazardous proportiondecreased to 34%, dramatically reducing the volume requiring high-energy treatment. This guide shows how low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) can integrate low carbon andclimate resilient principles into health care waste management in a phased, practical way. It drawsfrom the Climate Health Implementation Manual (CHIM) Low Carbon Climate Resilient WasteManagement Repository, which catalogs 44tools across eight evidence-based waste managementinterventions. While few of these interventions were originally designed specifically as climatemeasures, emerging evidence demonstrates that foundational waste management practices,including waste minimization, segregation, recycling, safe storage, transport, treatment, disposal,and operational support, inherently reduce net GHG emissions and improve resilience to climate-related hazards when consistently implemented. In practice, countries respond to climate-smart waste management when it is framed aroundworker and patient safety, cost savings, and operational efficiency. Reducing waste volumesthrough proper segregation decreases the amount of hazardous waste requiring high-energytreatment methods such as incineration, lowering both costs and emissions. Transitioning to non-burn treatment technologies such as autoclaves reduces direct GHG emissions while oftenlowering operating costs. Applying circular economy principles through reducing, reusing, andrecycling health care materials decreases reliance on supply chains that may be disrupted duringclimate events, building resilience while reducing environmental impact. Tiered Approach to Low Carbon ClimateResilient Waste Management The guide is organized into three tiers that reflect a health facility’sor country’s readiness to act onlow carbon climate resilient waste management. Each tier includes a facility and country profiledescribing what facilities at that stage typically look like, priority interventions organized by whatthey achieve, the tools that support each intervention, and practical use cases showing howinterventions work together. The guide concludes with an implementation roadmap, criticalsuccess factors, and a full list of the eight interventions and 44tools as an annex. The tiers are progressive: facilities can build foundational capabilities before moving to moresophisticated climate interventions. However, the tiers are not gates. Any facility at any stage canadopt any intervention in this guide if the opportunity arises and the context is right. A Tier 1facility that receives funding for new treatment technology, for example, can and should apply Tier2 non-burn treatment standards to that investment. The tiers describe a typical progression, not arequired sequence. Within each tier, interventions are the organizing principle. This guide leads with what facilitiesshould do (the interventions) and shows which tools help them do it. Tools appear where theysupport specific interventions, so the connection between resources and implementation is clear. This guide is a companion to the CHIM Low Carbon Climate Resilient Waste ManagementRepository, which contains detailed descriptions, direct links, and full intervention mappings for all44tools. TIER 1: Getting Started Establishing the foundation for low carbon climate resilient waste management Facility and Country Profile Facilities at this stage have no formal policy linking waste managemen