A tonne of incinerated DASRI emits 0.7 to 1.1 tCO2e according to ADEME’s Base Empreinte (2025). Alternative routes divide this figure by around 3: around 300 kgCO2e per tonne for autoclaving and 250 kgCO2e for on-site decontamination, which eliminates transport. For a university hospital treating 600 tonnes a year, incineration represents 400 to 660 tCO2e annually. Within a hospital’s overall assessment, DASRI accounts for only a small share of emissions (the whole "waste and services" category represents around 4% of healthcare emissions according to The Shift Project), but reducing volumes through better sorting remains the quickest lever to activate.
Read the source article: What is the carbon footprint of infectious healthcare waste?