Nevada

Regulated Medical Waste

Waste 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 refers to materials generated as a result of patient diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of humans or animals. It does not include any hazardous waste, radioactive waste, or household waste. In Nevada, regulations for regulated medical waste are found at Nevada Administrative Code 444.646 and 444.662.

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 regulated medical waste or municipal solid waste, or regulated medical 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 medical waste. Use the guidance and references below to accurately categorize your wastes. For additional help, see Contacts below.

• If medical waste has been treated by incineration, autoclaving or an alternative method approved by the solid waste management authority, it can be managed as ordinary solid waste with no special requirements.

Definition of Regulated Medical Waste

Nevada has adopted the US Dept. Of Transportation definition for regulated medical waste found in . Regulated medical waste means a waste or reusable material known to contain or suspected of containing an infectious substance in Risk Group 2 or 3 and generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals; research on the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals; or the production or testing of biological products. Where, Risk group means a ranking of a micro-organism’s ability to cause injury through disease. A risk group is defined by criteria developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the severity of the disease caused by the organism, the mode and relative ease of transmission, the degree of risk to both an individual and a community, and the reversibility of the disease through the availability of known and effective preventative agents and treatment.

Managing Infectious Waste

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection states that if medical waste has been treated by incineration, autoclaving or an alternative method approved by the solid waste management authority, it can be managed as ordinary solid waste with no special requirements. Special requirements apply to the storage, collection, labeling, transporting and disposal of regulated medical waste. Nevada regulations allow the direct disposal by landfilling of untreated medical waste.

There are services throughout the state for the collection and disposal of medical waste generated in healthcare and veterinary facilities. Services for home-generated medical waste sharps are not prevalent, however.

According to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, there are two basic ways of managing medical waste that can protect workers and the public from disease transmission: 1) treatment to render the waste non-infectious, or 2) segregation to prevent exposure. Nevada regulations do not require treatment of medical waste. Disposal in a permitted landfill according to approved practices is acceptable. However, until the waste had been either treated or disposed, it must be stored and collected according to the requirements of Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 444.662. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted regulations to limit workers’ occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids which may pose a risk of infection by bloodborne pathogens. These rules are discussed below.

Storage, Collection and Disposal Regulations

The Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) contains the following regulations concerning the storage, collection, and disposal of medical waste:

• Medical wastes must be stored in watertight, tightly covered and clearly labeled containers that are resistant to corrosion and are in a safe location, inaccessible to the public.

• Medical wastes must not be deposited in containers with other solid wastes.

• Medical wastes must be transported separately from other solid wastes to an approved disposal site and handled in accordance with a method approved by the solid waste management authority.

• Medical wastes may be deposited at a disposal site only if provisions for such disposal are included in the operational plan and approved by the solid waste management authority.

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. Nevada is one of 24 states operating an approved occupational safety and health 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

Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 444 Containing NAC 444.570 to 444.7499 Solid Waste Disposal

Contacts

State of Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Division of Environmental Protection

NDEP Solid Waste Branch (General) 775-687-9462

NDEP Solid Waste Branch (RMW contact – Les Gould) 775-687-9468

Nevada State Health Division

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Clark County Health District (702) 383-1275

Washoe County District Health Department (775) 328-2434

Nevada Division of Industrial Relations, Safety Consultation and Training Section

(775) 688-1474 (for information concerning OSHA Boodborne Pathogens rule)

More Information

Nevada’s Solid Waste Management Plan

Solid Waste Fact Sheet: Collection and Disposal of Medical Waste

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection: Management of Medical Waste