This research focused on the management of healthcare waste, specifically about the sharps types. The current ways of management in the Rio dos Sinos basin (BHRS) were analyzed with the use of questionnaires in health establishments generators of healthcare waste. The results indicate that 48.6% of health facilities comply with the specific legislation in Brazil, also indicating a better management coming from private institutions. Health facilities of the type "labs, blood banks and pharmacies" installed in municipalities with over 20,000 inhabitants and municipal area in BHRS within the range of 80 to 100% relative to the total municipal area had the worst results in terms of healthcare waste management. The group activities of healthcare services with the highest number of establishments in BHRS - "dental offices/clinics, veterinary clinics, drugstores and mobile health units" - indicated one of the lowest levels of knowledge about specific legal requirements relating to the theme.
healthcare waste; sharps; waste management
