The term 'treatment' refers to the process that modifies the waste in some way before it is taken to its final resting place. Treatment is mainly required to disinfect or decontaminate the waste, right at source so that it is no longer the source of pathogenic organisms. After such treatment, the residue can be handled safely, transported and stored.

• Needles and syringe nozzle - shredded in needle destroyer and syringe cutters 

• Scalpel blades/ Lancet/ Broken glass should be put in separate containers with bleach, transferred to plastic/ cardboard boxes;        sealed to prevent spillage and transported to incubators 

• Glassware should be disinfected, cleaned and sterilized 

• Culture plates with viable culture should be autoclaved; media are placed in appropriate bags and disposed off. The plates can be    reused after sterilization 

• Gloves should be shredded / cut / mutilated before disposal. 

• Swabs should be chemically disinfected followed by incineration. If they contain only a small amount of blood that does not drip,        they can be placed in the garbage. 

• Disposable items are often recycled and have the risk of being used illegally. Dipping in freshly prepared 1% sodium hypochlorite     for 30 min. - one hour, followed by mutilation before disposal should be the policy adopted for such items. 

• Under no circumstances, should heat be used for disposal of amalgam. The heat will cause mercury to volatize and be released to    the environment. So teeth with amalgam restoration should be treated by immersion in high-level disinfectant (e.g.                          Gluteraldehyde) for 30 min. Treated teeth can then be rinsed. 

• Liquid waste generated by the laboratory is either pathological or chemical in nature. Non-infectious waste should be neutralized    with reagents. 

• Liquid infectious waste should be treated with a chemical disinfectant for contamination and then neutralized.