Introduction:

The generation of waste by hospital activities in large urban areas requires comprehensive management, which involves knowing its production characteristics.

Objective:

To establish performance indicators for the management of hospital waste based on generation rates and hospital waste classification in Bogotá D.C. in the period 2012 - 2015.

Materials and methods:

Qualitative descriptive-prospective study, with cross-sectional design performed based on secondary information obtained from hospitals in Colombia.

Results:

According to the information analyzed, between 2012 and 2015 2 727 947 tons of hospital waste were generated in Bogotá D.C; 45% of waste corresponded to non-hazardous waste (recyclable and ordinary) and 55% to hazardous waste (infectious, chemical and dangerous administrative waste).

Conclusions:

The waste generation rates observed exceed by 40% the calculation presented by the Ministry of Environment and other sources reporting a percentage of 10-15% for hazardous waste.

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