[Solid healthcare waste: a snapshot of the commitment of the nursing staff].

This work investigated knowledges and attitudes of nurses from the staff of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on solid healthcare waste (SHCW). This is an exploratory descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews applied to 24 nurses from the staff. Content analysis was used to categorize the data. Four categories were identified: Meaning of the phrase solid healthcare waste; Separation of solid healthcare waste; Realization of the course/knowledge; and Professionals who do not separate. Results confirmed the importance to treat this issue more seriously, emphasizing the need of access to appropriate guidance.