Government Decree N294 is the principal technical regulation governing medical waste in Georgia. It classifies all waste generated by healthcare activities and prescribes specific requirements for segregation at source, on-site storage, transport, treatment and final disposal — aligned with WHO and EU medical waste management standards.
Medical waste classification
| Category | Description | Examples | Container colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category A — Infectious | Waste contaminated with blood, body fluids, or from isolation rooms | Used dressings, soiled linen, waste from infectious disease wards | Yellow |
| Category B — Sharps | Needles, blades and other sharps capable of causing puncture wounds | Syringes with needles, surgical blades, lancets, broken glass from labs | Yellow puncture-resistant container |
| Category C — Pathological | Human tissues, organs, body parts, blood products | Surgical specimens, placenta, amputated limbs, blood bags | Yellow with biohazard symbol |
| Category D — Pharmaceutical | Expired, unused or contaminated medicines and vaccines | Unused IV bags, expired tablets, used vaccine vials | Brown |
| Category E — Chemical | Chemical and hazardous substances | Mercury, formaldehyde, laboratory reagents, disinfectant concentrates | Brown with chemical hazard symbol |
| Category F — Radioactive | Radioactive materials used in diagnosis or treatment | Urine/faeces from patients receiving radionuclide therapy, unused radiolabelled materials | Radiation symbol container — managed per Decree N450 |
| General non-hazardous | Office and food waste not contaminated with hazardous materials | Administrative waste, food packaging from non-isolation areas | Black/dark green |
On-site storage requirements
Transport and disposal
Medical waste transport vehicles must be dedicated, marked with the biohazard symbol, equipped with spill containment materials, and drivers must hold a valid medical waste transport certificate. Infectious and sharps waste must be treated prior to disposal — approved treatment methods include autoclaving (steam sterilisation at 134°C for 18 minutes), microwave disinfection and incineration at temperatures above 850°C. Untreated infectious waste must not be disposed of in municipal landfill. Facilities must maintain a waste management log recording quantities generated, treated and disposed of, available for RAMA inspection.
Facility obligations
All healthcare facilities must: appoint a designated waste management officer; develop and implement a facility waste management plan; train all staff who handle waste annually; maintain waste logs; conduct internal audits; report quantities to environmental authorities annually. Non-compliance is subject to administrative penalties under the Environmental Code and may result in facility operating licence suspension.
In plain language
Decree N294 sets the rules for handling medical waste in Georgia — from classification and segregation at the point of generation, through storage and transport, to treatment and final disposal.
What it means in practice
| Who | What changes |
|---|---|
| Public and authorities | Correct management protects waste handlers, communities and the environment from infection and toxic exposure. |
| Clinicians and providers | Segregate waste correctly at source using the prescribed containers and colour coding. |
| Facility managers | Keep a waste management plan, trained staff, compliant storage and contracts with licensed transport and treatment operators. |
International frame of reference
- WHO, Safe management of wastes from health-care activities (2nd ed., 2014)
- EU Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC
Questions and answers
Which waste is hazardous?
The decree classifies medical waste by category; infectious, sharps, pharmaceutical and chemical waste need special handling. See the classification table above.