How To Start A Medical Waste Disposal Company In South Africa
What is a Medical Waste Disposal?
Medical waste is healthcare waste that may be contaminated by blood, body fluids or other potentially infectious materials and is often referred to as regulated medical waste.
How To Start A Medical Waste Disposal Company In South Africa
1. Conduct Market Research and Feasibility Studies
Demographics and Psychographics
Just like we already stated, the very first thing to do when planning to start and run a lucrative medical waste disposal company is to do in-depth research of waste handling procedures and regulations. Have it in mind that you will need to set up a professional business plan that must be presented to the appropriate authorities during the business registration process.
2. Decide Which Niche to Concentrate On
You need to understand that medical waste disposal companies dispose medical wastes such as needles, chemicals and contaminated supplies, which keep hospitals, dental offices, laboratories, clinics, the environment and the general public free of harmful medical waste.
3. Know Your Major Competitors in the Industry
- REMONDIS SE & Co. KG
- Republic Services, Inc.
- Sharp Compliance, Inc.
- Stericycle, Inc.
- Suez environment
- Veolia
- Waste Management, Inc.
Economic Analysis
It is very important that you know that this market is segmented on the basis of services and treatment performed on materials. We believe that the big companies in this industry provide services that include collection, transportation, storage, treatment, disposal, and recycling of waste. Note that these services can be performed onsite or offsite.
5. Decide Whether to Buy a Franchise or Start from Scratch
If you are planning to start and run a medical and infectious waste disposal business, we suggest you learn from people who are already in business. Your local competitors will find it hard to give you advice or tips. But someone who owns a medical and infectious waste disposal business on the other side of the country will be much more likely to talk with you, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community.
6. Know the Possible Threats and Challenges You Will Face
There a lot of medical, dental and veterinary practices, as well as outpatient surgical centers and hospitals, that contract for medical waste disposal. This is why if you’re willing to invest in the equipment and tools required to carry out the process safely and legally, you may have a very lucrative business.
7. Choose the Most Suitable Legal Entity (LLC, C Corp, S Corp)
Anyone who knows about the legal structures in the business world will agree that the LLC and the incorporation are the best legal structures to choose from when starting your medical waste disposal business. A lot of people will argue that the LLC is the most suitable but for the sake of this article, the incorporation is the best legal entity for your medical waste disposal business and here are the reasons.
8. Choose a Catchy Business Name
Note that its very important that you choose a suitable name for your medical waste disposal business. A lot of individuals overlook the importance that a name can play in the development of a brand. The right name can help you to make a great first impression on people in your market and it can help you to build long term relationships and reputation.
9. Discuss with an Agent to Know the Best Insurance Policies for You
Have it in mind that businesses involved in specialized transport activities such as the removal and dumping of waste products will need specialized insurance to protect their interests. This type of custom insurance calls for an insurance expert in the fields of refuse removal, waste disposal and the transportation of recycling goods.
10. Protect your Intellectual Property With Trademark, Copyrights, Patents
Indeed the demand and competition in this industry is alarming, even with very few major players taking control of the industry. Intellectual property rights are needed in the Medical Waste Disposal industry for trademark and patent protection.
We suggest that you research the essentials of patenting any ideas and procedures you must have developed. It also includes your tagline, logo, and other marketing designs. You should know that without proper protection, your ideas may be developed by someone else which can jeopardize your business.
11. Get the Necessary Professional Certification
You need to understand that this business needs professional training before starting and operating it. This is because of the hazardous working conditions that come along with the medical waste disposal service.
Also aside from learning how to properly take care of and dispose medical waste, you also need to be educated in the various processes involved, the equipment needed at your waste disposal plant and you need to learn how to properly manage this kind of business without losses.
12. Get the Necessary Legal Documents You Need to Operate
You have to understand that without this step, you will not be able to start and run your medical waste disposal business. We’ve stated that this industry has one of the strictest sets of regulations to meet, a proper business registration is also needed.
13. Raise the Needed Startup Capital
Research has shown that one very lucrative business opportunity that will only get bigger in the coming years is the medical waste disposal business. This is why the medical waste disposal business is seen as a money making business.
14. Choose a Suitable Location for your Business
You need to understand that your location will play in key role in the success of your business. Though your plant might be away from residential areas, but it will still serve as the place you treat and dispose medical waste. Have it in mind that your choice of location for your plant must be approved by the public health department of your state before you can obtain permission to go ahead to build the plant.
15. Hire Employees for your Technical and Manpower Needs
It’s your duty as the owner of a medical waste disposal company to hire staff and take them through the proper training programs so they know what they need to do and how to do it. We believe that employing staff is a crucial part of this business operation as the procedures involved with waste removal services cannot be conducted by one person alone.
16. Write a Marketing Plan Packed with ideas & Strategies
You need to understand that marketing is the key to your business success. High-performing medical and infectious waste disposal businesses leave no stone unturned when it comes to marketing.
17. Develop Iron-clad Competitive Strategies to Help You Win
Note that funding combined with growing medical waste has states seeking intermediaries that can control costs through competition. Green cleaning must become efficient, safe, cost effective and accountable to maintain these important medical waste disposal services.
18. Develop Strategies to Boost Brand Awareness and Create a Corporate Identity
It has become routine for companies in a lot of industries to spend vast sums on advertising and marketing their brands. But with copious product information now available to consumers through digital channels, it’s worth challenging the routine.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Do you need a license to carry clinical waste in South Africa?
This states that all producers of waste have a duty of care to ensure the correct and proper management of waste is performed and states that it is “unlawful to deposit, recover or dispose of controlled clinical waste without a waste management license, or in a way that causes pollution of the environment.
Who needs a waste license South Africa?
Waste management license (Wml) is required by any person, company, municipality or state department that wishes to undertake one or more waste management activities .
Which recycling business is most profitable in South Africa?
Another lucrative recycling business idea to consider is recycling glass. Recycling soda bottles, beer bottles, and jars and various other glass material can be a profitable business. Glass can be crushed and made into other usable products.
What are the 4 types of waste in South Africa?
For the purposes of this review these sources are defined as giving rise to four major categories of waste: municipal solid waste, industrial waste, agricultural waste and hazardous waste.
What is waste management License in South Africa?
There are 2 types of waste management license: site license for businesses that treat, keep, or dispose of waste in or on land. mobile plant license for businesses that treat or dispose of waste with a plant that is designed to or can be moved from place to place.
What is the impact of waste disposal in South Africa?
An inefficient municipal solid waste management system may create serious negative environmental impacts like infectious diseases, land and water pollution, obstruction of drains and loss of biodiversity.
How do you store medical waste in South Africa?
How should medical waste be stored? Medical wastes in general are required to be stored in a secure container that limits its exposure to animals, people and the weather. The waste must also not provide a breeding area for insects or give off noxious odors.
Why should we care about waste disposal in South Africa?
Preventing waste prevents pollution, making your neighborhood and community a safer, healthier place to live. In the end, you benefit, the environment benefits, the community benefits, and your company establishes itself as a good corporate citizen, providing immeasurable, lasting rewards.
What are common waste disposal problems in South Africa?
The main waste disposal problems include producing too much waste, most of which is toxic. Landfills have become challenging to manage, and we still rely on old technology to reduce and recycle waste. Some green-labeled waste disposal technologies are not green, and regulations are based on vested interests.
What is a disposal certificate in South Africa?
A certificate of destruction is an important document a certified product disposal company provides to prove that your products have been safely disposed of. The certificate provides a company with a method of tracking its products and ensuring confidence that the waste has been disposed of properly.