Colorado
Infectious
Medical Waste
Waste
Categories
Colorado classifies
wastes generated by health care facilities into four main categories:
Hazardous
wastes. This refers to a class of wastes specifically
defined in a federal law (the Resource conservation and Recovery
Act, or RCRA). These wastes contain certain toxic chemicals
or have certain characteristics that cause them to be a significant
risk to the environment and/or human health. Some certain
chemotherapy waste is hazardous waste.
Medical
waste. Medical waste means any solid waste which is generated
in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings
or animals, in research, or in the production or testing of
biologicals. It does not include any hazardous waste, radioactive
waste, or household waste.
Infectious
waste (IW). These are a special subcategory of medical
wastes that present significant health risks such as the potential
for infectious disease transmission, and special rules apply
to them.
Municipal
solid waste. These wastes present fewer environmental
or health risks than medical wastes. Municipal solid waste
can be disposed of into dumpsters.
It is important
that you categorize your facility’s waste accurately.
- Hazardous
waste disposed of as infectious waste or municipal solid waste,
or infectious waste disposed of as municipal solid waste are
violations of the law and can result in substantial penalties.
- Conversely,
most medical waste may be handled as general solid waste and
does not require special handling or treatment.
- Correctly
identifying and segregating your IW can reduce the cost of
disposal. Infectious medical waste makes up only a small portion
of the total medical waste stream. Some facilities, such as
long-term care facilities, generate medical waste, but little
or no infectious waste. See the guidance and references
below to accurately categorize your wastes.
- Infectious
waste that is treated to specific standards can be disposed
of as municipal solid waste, provided that no local rules prohibit
it.
Definition of Infectious
Waste
In Colorado,
infectious waste is defined as any waste capable of producing
an infectious disease in a susceptible person. Generally recognized
infectious wastes include, but are not limited to: isolation
wastes from persons having a disease requiring Biosafety Level
IV containment; cultures and stocks of infectious agents and
biologicals; human blood, blood products and other body fluids;
human pathological or anatomical waste consisting of tissues
and body parts; contaminated sharps; and contaminated research
animals and bedding.
Managing
Regulated Medical Waste
Management
Plan. Healthcare facilities that generate infectious waste
must develop and implement an on-site infectious waste management
plan appropriate for their particular facility. This plan must
be available to the hauler of the waste, to the disposal facility,
and to the licensing or regulatory agency. The plan must include
the designation of infectious waste, provisions for the handling
of that waste, staff training, contingency planning for spills
or loss of containment, the designation of a person responsible
for implementation of the plan, and provisions for appropriate
on and off-site treatment or final disposal.
Packaging
and Labeling. Receptacles containing infectious waste
must be clearly labeled with the biohazard symbol or with the
words “Infectious Waste” in letters at least one inch high.
Untreated waste must be stored, packaged, contained, and transported
in a manner that prevents the release of the waste material
and in a manner to prevent nuisance conditions. Contaminated
sharps (needles, syringes, lancets) must be placed in a puncture
resistant container and be properly designated as untreated
infectious waste or made noninfectious by an appropriate treatment
method. Untreated containers of sharps cannot be compacted.
Storage. There
are no storage time limits for generators of infectious waste. The
waste need only be stored in a manner to prevent release of the
waste and to prevent nuisance conditions.
Off-Site
Disposal in a Landfill. Properly labeled and packaged infectious
waste may be disposed of in a permitted solid waste disposal
facility without treatment. Landfills must be approved by
their local governing authority and the state health department
to accept this type of waste. If untreated infectious waste
is disposed of in a solid waste disposal facility, these procedures
must be documented in the generator’s waste handling plan and
must be acceptable to the waste hauler and disposal site. Recognizable
human anatomical remains cannot be disposed of at a solid waste
landfill. These must be either incinerated or interred.
Other Treatment/Disposal
Options. Healthcare facilities may treat their infectious
waste themselves to render it noninfectious or contract with
a medical waste disposal company. Infectious waste that has
been appropriately treated to render it non-infectious is no
longer considered infectious for handling and disposal purposes. Treated
waste can be disposed of with other noninfectious and nonhazardous
solid wastes after the generator either identifies it as appropriately
treated waste or provides the hauler and disposal facility
with a written statement that its general waste includes appropriately
treated infectious waste. Appropriate treatment is any method
that renders the waste noninfectious, and must include the
following: documentation that the method is effective; a written
standard operating procedure for implementation of the method;
and regular monitoring to test the effectiveness of the treatment. Widely
used treatment methods include incineration, autoclaving, decontamination,
and sterilization.
The Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment does not approve
or recommend specific treatment methods, but leaves it up to
the generator to determine what is an appropriate and effective
treatment method for their wastes.
OSHA
Regulations
In addition
to the state medical waste environmental regulations there are
some Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules
that apply to medical/infectious waste. Colorado is one of 26
states covered entirely by the federal OSHA program. This program
is operated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA
rules (Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standards)
impact various aspects of medical/infectious waste, including
management of sharps, requirements for containers that hold or
store medical/infectious waste, labeling of medical/infectious
waste bags/containers, and employee training. These requirements
can be found in the HERC section entitled OSHA Standards for Regulated
Waste
Statutes,
Regulations and Guidelines
State
Board of Health Regulations pertaining to Solid Waste Sites
and Facilities 6 CCR 1007-2, Part 1
Colorado
statute Title 25 Article 15
Contacts
Colorado Department of Public
Health and the Environment
Colorado Department of Public
Health and the Environment—Hazardous Material and Waste Management
Division
More Information
None located.
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