Medical Waste 101

A medical waste generator is an individual (including doctors and nurses) or an entity (such as a dentist, veterinarian practice or hospital) whose actions resulted in the production of medical waste. The generator may be an individual, private or public corporation, a partnership, a board or any other association of people. Medical waste generators consist of clinics, blood banks, surgery centers, dialysis centers, laboratories, funeral homes, pharmacies, tattoo parlours, med spas and acupuncture facilities among many others.

The term "biohazard" is defined as biological material (for example plants, animals, microorganisms or their byproduct) that poses potential risk to the health and well-being of humans, animals, or the environment 29 CFR 1910.1030 (g)(1)(i)(A). All bio hazardous waste must be disposed of in an approved biohazardous medical waste container

Medical waste is classified as any solid waste which is generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of humans or animals, in research, or in the production or testing of biologicals. Medical waste does not include hazardous waste or radioactive waste. Medical waste disposal is a term often used to signify the collection, transport and treatment of medical waste by a licensed waste hauler.

Regulated medical waste (sometimes referred to as red bag waste or biohazardous waste) is the classification for wastes that are contaminated with blood, body fluids or other potentially infectious materials, thus posing risk of transmitting infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical waste is “waste sufficiently capable of causing infection during handling and disposal.” We have medical waste and sharps disposal containers for all the specific waste streams these faculties generate, including regulated medical waste, sharps waste, pharmaceutical waste, chemotherapy waste, and hazardous waste.

Surgical waste is known as pathological waste that is removed from a patient during surgery. Such waste is then required to be disposed of in a pathological waste container at the conclusion of the procedure. Instruments used during surgeries which can include needles, scalpels, syringes and lancets should be disposed of in a sharps container, and any non biological materials contaminated with blood or bodily fluids should be segregated into an approved regulated medical waste container.

There are both federal and state regulations that govern the labeling, containment, storage, transport and treatment of medical waste. The Environmental Prevention Agency (EPA) and Department of Health regulates treatment facilities for processing and environmental safety; OSHA, DOT and CDC govern labeling, containment and the identification and safe handling of medical waste and sharps disposal containers.

Regulated Medical waste falls into the packaging group PG II. It's proper shipping name is Rgulated Medical Waste, n.o.s and it belongs in the Hazard Class 6, Division 6.2. A Division 6.2 infectious substance (which includes regulated medical waste) is a hazardous material that is subject to regulation under the Hazardous Materials Regulation (HMR). All employees involved in its transportation (including loading, unloading, handling and preparing or reviewing shipping papers) are HazMat employees who have undergone the required training.

Otherwise known as biohazardous waste or biomedical waste, infectious waste is any waste containing infectious materials or potentially infectious substances such as blood or bodily fluids generated from a patient. Sharps wastes that have come into direct contact with a patient such as needles, blades and lancets are all considered biohazardous (with the potential of being infectious) and should be disposed of in a clinical-grade sharps container.

Different facilities have their own policies and processes in place, but typically the following items are classified as regulated medical waste: Gauze, bandages or other items saturated with blood, Gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE) and plastic tubing that is contaminated with blood or body fluid, and disposable sharps containers. The things that should not be disposed of in a regulated medical waste container are medications, loose sharps, chemotherapy waste, pharmaceuticals and hazardous wastes.

Glass, as it is something that could potentially puncture skin, would be considered a sharp and go into our sharps container.

Biological waste, also known as RMW, biohazardous waste, or medical waste is any waste that contains/is soaked in blood or potentially infectious material. This type of waste must be sterilized before disposal, usually carried out by high heat autoclave. Regular waste can be disposed of without sterilization and is typically sent directly to landfill. Some common things often thrown away as biological waste are feces, urine, and band aids. Assuming these items are not infectious, they can be disposed of in the trash.

It is important to avoid overfilling any type of medical waste containers. Unlike your kitchen rubbish bin at home, you should never push the waste down in an effort to fit more in the bin. This poses a safety risk as you can never be sure of the waste contents and run the risk of a sharps injury or contact with a potentially infections substance. Daniels Health containers are designed with fill lines to protect against overfilling. Once waste reaches the fill line, please lock your container and put it aside for service. If all of your medical waste containers are full or anticipated to fill before your next service, please contact Daniels Customer Excellence team to request an urgent pickup and supply of more clean containers.

There are a many laws and guidelines used to regulate biomedical/biohazardous waste. Below are just a few of them - The Medical Waste Tracking Act: Enacted by congress in the 1980’s. This act determined which waste should be regulated and how it should be segregated, packaged, and stored. It also established a cradle-to-grave tracking system and defined penalties for mismanagement of regulated waste. - Cradle to grave: As mentioned above this is a result of the MWTA. This refers to tracking and ownership of regulated waste from the point of generation all the way to treatment and disposal. The generator, likely a healthcare facility is responsible for the waste even after it has been picked up by a certified medical waste disposal service provider has picked up the waste. This is the law and any service provider who says they take ownership and your liability is waved is incorrect as this is legally not possible. - Storage requirement: These requirements could vary by state, it is important to know the storage requirements and regulations that pertain to you and your facility. - You must be DOT certified to sign a manifest which is required when pickup up of waste occurs. Some common regulations or requirement are: 1. Medical waste must cannot be stored for more than 30 days 2. Clean unused medical waste containers and used containers cannot be stored in the same location 3. Soil rooms used to store used containers must have a lock

Regulated medical waste includes any type of blood or potentially infectious materials generated at health care facilities, including hospitals, clinics, physicians offices and other primary care facilities.

All RMW reusable bins or cardboard boxes require an inner liner (i.e. film bag) to meet the requirements and be in accordance with 49 CFR 173.197(E). However, Daniels Health does offer a fully reusable RMW container called the Medismart that does not require a liner or film bag while meeting all legal and safety requirements. The Medismart is a great solution to further eliminate single-use plastic and protect your staff during biohaz disposal

WISE has the capability to service multiple healthcare waste streams including sharps, RMW/Biohaz, trace chemotherapy, non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, pathological, and hazardous/RCRA waste. We now also offer linen and shredding services