Having launched a new free online program to strengthen healthcare waste practices worldwide, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is targeting a problem that continues to put patients, health workers and entire communities at risk. Developed with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, the self-paced course converts technical guidance into practical knowledge for the people who plan, operate and improve healthcare waste services.
What the course covers
Spread across six modules, the course walks participants through the complete waste pathway, covering classification, segregation, storage, transport, treatment and final disposal. It also addresses waste minimisation, recycling, treatment capacity and infrastructure planning, along with the safe handling of mercury-containing devices and pharmaceutical waste. Health workers, facility managers, waste handlers, environmental health professionals, planners and policymakers can complete the course in around two hours, and knowledge checks and a final assessment lead to a certificate of participation.
Bruce Gordon, unit head for water, sanitation, hygiene and health at the WHO, said the training addresses a foundational part of health service delivery. “Safe healthcare waste management is fundamental to quality care, infection prevention and control, as well as the protection of health workers, communities and the environment,” he said.
A stark global backdrop
New estimates from the WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme show just 71 percent of healthcare facilities had basic waste management services in 2025, while 21 per cent had only limited services and 7 percent had none at all. Facilities serving an estimated 571 million people lacked proper waste management, leaving that waste unsegregated and improperly treated.
Those figures underline why the WHO frames healthcare waste as more than a disposal issue, positioning it instead as a matter of infection prevention, worker safety and environmental protection. The course, delivered in English through the WHO Academy learning platform, gives facility teams a structured starting point for building that capability, particularly in settings where limited resources, thin infrastructure or gaps in training have made safe practice difficult to establish.
For Australian cleaning and facilities management professionals working in or alongside healthcare settings, the course offers a free, credentialed way to bring staff up to speed on internationally recognised waste handling standards
