Journal of Social & Health Sciences2959-96602958-65262022-09-1552110.58398/0001.000027articleClarisse KwesenaBienvenu KuyangisaGédéon BongoAurore MbomboPlacide CyangaAudace KiloloJunior MayembaBenito KazenzaMireille NgangaDepartment of Medical Biology, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Medical Biology, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoMention of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Nutrition, School of Public Health of Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Medical Biology, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Medical Biology, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Psychiatry, Centre Neuro-Psycho Pathologique, Faculty of Medicine, University de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Nutrition, School of Public Health of Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoDepartment of Medical Biology, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of CongoBiomedical waste management remains a persistent public health problem in low-income settings, and diagnostic laboratories are relatively neglected sources of such waste. This study assessed the knowledge and self-reported practices of personnel working in biomedical analysis laboratories in Kinshasa and examined the factors associated with the segregation of waste at the source. A cross-sectional study with an analytical component was conducted from October to December 2024 in the laboratories of 13 hospitals located across the four districts of Kinshasa. Data were collected from 362 laboratory staff members through direct observation and a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Proportions were compared with the Pearson chi-square test, and crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Among the 362 participants, 194 (53.6%) were men, 130 of 356 (36.5%) were older than 40 years, and 244 of 348 (70.1%) were laboratory technicians. In all, 258 participants (71.3%) had never received in-service training on biomedical waste management. Waste was not segregated at the source by 262 participants (72.4%), and color coding was not applied by 289 (79.8%). A dedicated storage area was reported by 265 of 352 participants (75.3%), but 254 (70.2%) did not know the permitted storage time, 231 of 344 (67.2%) reported no dedicated means of transport, and 253 of 350 (72.3%) reported no organized treatment system. Only 3 participants (0.8%) reported any means of quantifying waste. Fewer than 20% of those who answered could name the color code for infectious waste or for waste handled as household waste. Segregation differed widely across facilities (0% to 61.5%; p < 0.001), was more frequent among men (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.21–3.14), and was strongly associated with recent training: 79.2% of staff trained within the previous year segregated waste, compared with 17.5% of those trained one to four years earlier and 13.0% of those trained five or more years earlier (p < 0.001). Biomedical waste management in these laboratories falls short of accepted standards at every step of the chain. Routine quantification of waste, a reliable supply of color-coded containers, documented transport and treatment routes, and regular refresher training are the most immediate priorities.