Potentially hazardous waste material arising from healthcare-related activities — healthcare risk waste — requires special management and the use of costly handling and disposal arrangements to avoid causing infection or injury to those who come in contact with it, and to minimise negative impacts on the environment. Hospitals also produce large volumes of non-risk waste. The examination sought to identify - the level of output of waste in publicly-funded hospitals in Ireland, and the type of waste produced - the costs associated with the collection, handling, treatment and disposal of such waste - good practice in the management of waste in publicly-funded hospitals. A survey of publicly-funded hospitals was undertaken to inform the examination.