**8. Conclusions**

Microwave irradiation is without doubt an effective tool for inactivation of solid biohazardous waste. However, the inactivation process, and especially the moisture content is not always strictly controlled. In the future only sophisticated microwave technologies allowing appropriate control of heat and fluid/moisture content should be utilized for treatment of in-homogenous solid waste. Otherwise, complete inactivation of biohazardous waste cannot be guaranteed. If following this recommendation, microwave technologies having benefits in contrast to autoclaves would be more widely accepted. Another major current challenge is that biohazardous waste is often generated at many different places within one facility and then transported to the place of inactivation. Because the transport bears risks, biohazardous waste should be preferably inactivated either directly at the place where it is generated or transported in appropriate closed systems. Decentralized inactivation by the relatively simple microwave technology would be especially useful for developing countries where appropriate control of transport of waste is sometimes a challenge. Finally, the aspect of costs should also not be neglected. In comparison to the more widely used autoclave technologies, microwave irradiation is a possibility to save energy costs and has the underlying effect of a reduced carbon footprint.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
