Clinical Waste Incineration

Clinical waste cannot go to an ordinary landfill — sharps, infectious materials and pharmaceutical waste are typically incinerated, and that combustion carries its own emission factor. At 0.879 t CO₂-e per tonne, it lands on the incinerator operator’s Scope 1 inventory, driven almost entirely by the fossil carbon locked in single-use plastics.

For hospitals with on-site plant and specialist medical waste contractors, this factor turns tightly regulated waste manifests into a reportable emissions line with minimal extra data collection.

Quick Verdict

Clinical waste incineration has an emission factor of 0.879 t CO₂-e per tonne under the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025, reported under Scope 1 by the organisation operating the incinerator. The factor applies to the 2025–26 Australian reporting year and counts only fossil-origin CO₂: clinical waste is assumed to be 60% carbon, of which 40% is fossil in origin — chiefly plastics and synthetic materials. Biogenic CO₂ is excluded and reported separately. Hospitals, pathology services and medical waste contractors are the typical reporters. A Scope 1 and 2 calculator can apply the factor directly from incinerator throughput records.

How to Calculate Clinical Waste Incineration Emissions

Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Clinical waste incinerated (tonnes) × 0.879

Worked Example 1: Hospital incinerator

A hospital incinerates 45 tonnes of clinical waste in its on-site plant during the year.

45 t × 0.879 = 39.56 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 2: Medical waste contractor

A specialist contractor incinerates 120 tonnes of clinical waste collected from clinics across a city.

120 t × 0.879 = 105.48 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 3: Small clinic stream

A pathology facility incinerates 800 kg of clinical waste on site.

800 kg = 0.8 t

0.8 t × 0.879 = 0.70 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Clinical Waste vs Other Incinerated Streams

All factors from NGA Factors 2025. The spread reflects each stream’s fossil-carbon share, measured in CO₂-equivalent terms — fossil liquid waste is essentially all fossil carbon, while municipal waste is mostly biogenic.

NGER and AASB S2 Reporting

Incineration CO₂ is Scope 1 for the operator, so it counts toward NGER facility and corporate thresholds. Under AASB S2 climate disclosures, operators report it within Scope 1, while healthcare organisations using third-party incineration should assess it within material Scope 3 categories. Keep incinerator throughput logs and waste manifests as the audit trail and apply the NGA Factors 2025 value consistently across periods.