The marketing manager for AWS, Rex von Bibra, who was in Calcutta along with a delegation of health industry professionals led by the Australian Business Chamber, said: "The clinical waste services division of AWS has been offering an alternative to incinerators for disposal of clinical waste in Australia and the same technology is being offered in India."

The steam sterilisation technology pioneered by AWS sterilises clinical waste at 140 degree celsius under pressure. While there are other companies offering the same technology, Bibra claimed that only AWS technology reached as high as 140 degrees celsius.

According to Bibra, most hospital incinerators in Australia had now shut down and changed over to steam sterilisation technology. "For the lastthree years, in Australia, there have been at least one incinerator closing down every week," Bibra said.

For a small steam sterilisation plant treating wastes from one hospital only, the cost could be around Aus$200,000. For a larger plant that can deal with the entire clinical waste generated by a city, the cost would be around Aus$1 million.

Bibra said: "The technology focusses on reducing costs and uses the boiler system of hospitals for the process. The sterilisation process melts and binds the waste and reduces it by 50 per cent. Thereafter the waste is shredded and its volume reduces by another 20 per cent."

The residue can be used for landfilling. If the waste is sorted out in the beginning, then it can be sent for plastic recycling too. Sharp metal item sorted out earlier can be shredded and used in various manners.

"Our approach includes training and educating the hospital staff on reducing waste generation. Our systems allow people to track which ward is generating how much waste and narrowdown to some areas that are generating more," Bibra said.

The models proposed by Bibra at a presentation to reporters at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Monday said that in most cases it would be ideal for a large hospital to start a plant and offer service against a fee to other hospitals in its vicinity. An offsite facility for a group of hospitals is also possible.