Plastic surgery and dermatology clinics across Seoul have been caught dumping waste fat and blood from liposuction procedures into sinks and toilets, and leaving medical waste unattended for months.
Seoul's Public Safety Investigation Bureau caught 25 plastic surgery and dermatology clinics violating medical waste disposal rules, booked 25 people on criminal charges and referred all of them to prosecutors with a recommendation to indict, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 3rd.
The city said it detected signs of illegal disposal of tissue waste in late 2024, then analyzed hospital filings, clinic websites and Allbaro, the national electronic waste tracking system. Based on that review, it selected 120 targets for investigation — 112 medical institutions including plastic surgery clinics and eight waste collection and transport companies — and conducted site inspections and follow-up investigations from January last year through July this year.
Investigators confirmed 36 violations at the 25 clinics: two cases of illegal disposal in which waste fat and blood were poured into sinks or toilets, 24 cases of storage rule breaches and 10 cases involving improper use of designated containers.
Some medical institutions poured human fat and waste blood generated during liposuction or eye and nose surgery into sinks or toilet bowls. In other cases, medical waste was placed in ordinary trash bins and thrown out with household garbage.
Storage practices were also lax. Tissue waste such as waste fat, which must be refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius or below, was mixed with general medical waste, kept at room temperature and then handed over for treatment as general medical waste. Some clinics had stockpiled medical waste for three to six months or longer, well beyond the 15-day or 30-day storage limits.
Investigators also found designated medical waste containers being reused, and containers on which the date they were first used had not been recorded. Medical waste such as blood, bodily fluids and human tissue carries infection risks and must be managed separately. Tissue waste such as waste fat can decay quickly at room temperature and must be placed in designated containers and kept in refrigeration facilities at 4 degrees Celsius or below.
Violations of waste disposal rules are punishable under the Wastes Control Act by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.
The city said the investigation also revealed a lack of understanding of medical waste rules among clinic staff. Even at institutions performing liposuction, some were unaware that waste fat must be stored in a dedicated refrigerator or that designated medical waste containers cannot be reused.
Seoul plans to share the confirmed violations with its district offices and to recommend that the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment improve training and systems and revise penalty provisions. It will also conduct further investigations into possible violations by medical waste collection and transport companies.
"Tissue waste decays quickly at room temperature, which can increase odor and infection risks," said Lee Chang-seok, head of Seoul's Public Safety Investigation Bureau. "Hospitals and clinics must strictly observe storage and disposal standards from the moment the waste is generated."
