Medical waste or red bag waste is a critical part of your overall waste management process. It often involves hazardous materials that must be disposed of with care.
In an effort to protect theirs residents, visitors and/or staff, at least 50% of companies nationwide are overpaying on their medical waste disposal. You don’t have to be one of them.
You can have high-quality medical waste disposal service at a reasonable rate - do you? How would you know if you were overpaying?
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of medical waste disposal:
What it is
How it’s disposed of
Your expensive, hidden problems
How you can save on these services
You’ll also learn about just a few of the potential savings opportunities you may be sitting on - and how to take advantage of them. As we’ll see, medical waste safety and savings can go hand in hand.
What is medical waste?
Medical waste is anything that could contaminate blood borne pathogens. (See a full list here.) But this doesn’t necessarily mean anything that’s been in contact with blood! To be considered medical waste, materials have to “contain enough blood or potentially infectious materials” to be hazardous to those who may come into contact with it.
Band-aids, for example, aren’t usually considered medical waste. Gauze covering a gash on an arm? That’s a different story!
Medical waste exclusively comprise items and materials that contain or are saturated with blood or other infectious materials. Medical waste isn’t only sharps or needles!
When waste items fit this description, it becomes what’s known as regulated medical waste. Regulated medical waste simply means that certain rules apply to the disposal process to ensure that no person is exposed to potentially hazardous materials.
It’s important to note that different states may have slightly different ways of referring to medical or red bag waste:
New York and Rhode Island refer to it as “regulated medical waste”
Colorado, Nebraska, and Nevada all typically refer to it as “infectious waste”
Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine and Washington State refer to it as “biomedical waste”
Keep in mind that addition medical waste can also be referred to as hazardous waste.
There’s no other way to say it; medical waste is gross - but that’s exactly why it’s critical to ensure that medical waste is disposed of safely and efficiently. We can’t overstate the importance of having secure waste disposal methods!
Who produces medical waste?
A wide range of industries produce regulated medical waste. The EPA notes that such industries may include:
Health care facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, physician's offices, dental practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/clinics, as well as medical research facilities and laboratories.
Hospitals alone produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year, or about 30 pounds of waste per bed each day.
In our experience, many assisted living and retirement facilities often produce medical waste as well. But tattoo parlors and labs can also produce waste that falls in this category.
How is medical waste regulated?
Surprisingly, the federal government does not supply regulations for proper red bag waste disposal - the states do.
Individual states often require that you register as a medical waste generator. These are:
Alabama
California
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Maine
Michigan
New Jersey
New York - NYC
Ohio
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Washington
West Virginia
Find your specific state regulations here!
Why is proper medical waste disposal important?
Proper disposal of any medical waste containers is absolutely critical. 5.2 million people worldwide die from conditions related to poor medical waste disposal - and this could be completely eradicated with proper procedures in place!
Do your part to ensure that medical waste is safely and effectively disposed of. You are protecting the lives of everyone who enters your facilities. Learn more about how to protect your staff and your visitors with a thorough medical waste audit.