review · Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research
Antibiotics transformed infection treatment over the past century, yet widespread irrational use and poor waste disposal have released vast deposits into ecosystems. This environmental contamination drives antimicrobial resistance, presenting severe risks to human health. An assessment of current literature defines the nature, classification, and ecological entry pathways of antibiotic waste, contrasting proper disposal methods with common improper practices seen worldwide. These improper disposal routes harm ecosystems and compromise future antibiotic efficacy. Addressing the threat requires joint action from policymakers, healthcare providers, the pharmaceutical sector, and communities. Recommended interventions include stronger regulatory frameworks, public awareness initiatives, and the development and adoption of eco-friendly alternatives to mitigate ecological and public health hazards.
Improper disposal of antibiotics pollutes natural ecosystems and accelerates the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. When antibiotics lose their effectiveness, everyday medical procedures and common infections become significantly more dangerous. Understanding how pharmaceutical waste enters the environment helps public health authorities and communities introduce safer disposal standards to keep essential medicines working.
The abstract does not indicate a commercialisation pathway, as it focuses on literature review findings regarding policy, regulation, and waste management practices rather than a technical product or proprietary process.
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The discovery of antibiotics and their use in the last century substantially shifted the management of an array of infections. However, its unprecedented irrational usage and inept disposal of their waste exposed the ecosystems to unquantifiable antibiotic deposits, triggering the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with its immeasurable critical risk to public health. By adopting a narrative review method and accessing the available literature, the authors described what constitutes antibiotic waste, their classification, and the possible paths to access the ecological system. Further steps were taken to define the appropriate methods of disposing of antibiotic waste alongside the documented common wrong approaches in disposing of these currently undertaken in different parts of the globe, thus creating allowance for antibiotic waste mismanagement. The far-reaching consequences of inappropriate disposal of antibiotic waste into the environment were explored, emphasizing its hazardous impacts on human health and the ecosystem. Emphasis was laid on the pressing need for combined efforts involving policymakers, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical industries, and the public to implement sustainable antibiotic waste management practices and promote their accountable utilization, and further suggested that proactive measures, such as severe regulatory frameworks, community awareness drives, and the promotion of eco-friendly options will be vital to easing the ecological and human health risks correlated with antibiotic waste mismanagement. By realizing the significance of this issue and approving integrated approaches, significant efforts could be accomplished regarding protecting the ecosystem and securing the effectiveness of antibiotics for the upcoming generation.
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DOI: 10.21926/aeer.2401005
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