Legal Framework for the Management of Healthcare Activity Waste and the Protection of the Environment from Its Risks under Algerian Legislation

Abstract

Like other legal systems, the Algerian legislator has addressed the hazardous waste generated by healthcare activities through a set of laws. It has established classifications for such waste, identified its various types, and regulated the procedures for its management and treatment, leading to its final disposal in order to prevent harm to public health and the environment. It has also designated the institutions responsible for managing this type of waste. However, persistent poor organization and the failure to comply with the legislator’s objectives aimed at reducing the risks associated with such waste often result in the recurrence of the same environmental problems, as these wastes re-emerge and become even more hazardous, thereby posing a direct threat to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop more effective and preventive mechanisms by activating various monitoring and control mechanisms, with the aim of eliminating the randomness and lack of proper organization characterizing the treatment of waste generated by healthcare activities.