Hospital waste falls into several different categories, and color-coding your waste bins and bags ensures that each waste type receives the correct handling and treatment. As different countries have different ways of categorizing and color-coding medical waste, it’s essential for healthcare managers in the United States to be familiar with the color codes established by the federal authorities.
Many health-related facilities—including hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, research facilities, veterinary clinics, blood banks, funeral homes, and tattoo parlors—produce infectious waste, and a lack of clarity about what constitutes infectious waste (and what doesn’t) often leads to other solid wastes being placed in the waste bin inappropriately. To help businesses and individuals understand infectious waste, we’ve put together a guide covering definitions, examples, and correct disposal.
Hazardous material classification systems exist to keep workers and neighbors safe when these materials are stored, transported, and ultimately treated or disposed of. Different definitions and classes of hazardous materials (often shortened to “HAZMAT”) have been laid forth by various authorities in the United States depending on their primary concern. Understanding these classifications is imperative to preventing spills, injuries, or costly fines. Read More
There are several types of medical waste and several ways in which medical waste can be classified, which means there won’t be a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to separating and disposing of waste generated in healthcare facilities. Initially, the Environmental Protection Agency was in charge of defining and tracking medical waste in the United States. However, today, the responsibility for defining and regulating medical waste is largely in the hands of each state. Read More
Most professionals spend around one-quarter to one-third of their time in the office, making the goal of a zero-waste office an important part of any sustainability-minded lifestyle. If you are an employer seeking to implement sustainable practices or an employee hoping to create change through example, understanding the steps to a successful transition can help you make significant reductions in workplace waste.
Sourcing reusable products to reduce waste is not just an individual or domestic concern—it applies to businesses too. With increasing consumer awareness about the impact of their purchases, using and manufacturing reusable products to reduce waste is a smart decision not only for the planet but also for your bottom line.
Health care facilities work day in and day out to help people recover from injuries and illness, but the medical waste produced through these activities can pose a problem if an appropriate medical waste management system is not available or followed strictly. Understanding the key medical waste problems is the first step to developing an effective health care waste management plan for nursing homes, autopsy centers, blood banks, medical clinics, veterinarian clinics, hospitals, testing laboratories, and other health care facilities that generate medical waste.
Lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics such as cell phones, digital cameras, smoke detectors, vape pens, and electric vehicles present a fire hazard when placed in the regular trash or municipal recycling bin. To prevent fires and reduce the number of virgin materials needed to produce Li-ion batteries, these batteries should always be taken to a designated recycling facility or electronic waste collection point at the end of their useful life.
Hazardous waste drums—the 55-gallon barrels that are used to store and transport hazardous wastes—come in various sizes and materials and have a range of closure types. If your business generates hazardous waste, understanding the different kinds of hazardous waste containers and what each is suitable for will help you stay in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations and avoid fines for improper disposal. Learn what factors you need to consider when choosing storage containers and much more in this overview article.
Toxic waste, a subset of hazardous waste, is defined by its potential for causing harm to human health if it is inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, so it’s very important to dispose of these hazardous substances properly. Under federal law, toxic waste created through industrial processes or even in the home must be stored in sealed containers, clearly labeled as toxic waste, and transported to designated facilities for recycling, reuse, treatment, incineration, or burial. The precise disposal requirements can vary depending on the type and volume of toxic waste. Learn more in this article.
Epinephrine auto-injectors, or EpiPens can be life-saving pieces of medical equipment for people with severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis. But once an EpiPen expires, turns cloudy, or has visible particles, it needs to be disposed of properly. While used EpiPens carry the risk of injury and infection with HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, an expired EpiPen is still considered medical waste as it can cause needlestick injuries or fail to save another person’s life if they use the expired device and receive less medication than they need. Knowing how to dispose of expired EpiPens correctly will help you protect your health and the health of others.
Testing laboratories generate a wide variety of chemical waste products that require proper labeling, storage, and disposal to comply with local and federal laws. These include corrosive liquids, organic solvents, and used pump oils and heat transfer fluids. At a federal level, chemical wastes are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). When you know how to dispose of chemical waste in a lab and carefully follow regulations, not only will you avoid fines, but you’ll also be protecting the safety of your staff, safeguarding environmental health and safety, and ensuring that any chemicals that can be recycled are recovered and used again.
The correct disposal, storage, and treatment of hazardous wastes depend on the types of hazardous waste you deal with in the course of your work. If you create hazardous waste as part of your cultivation, manufacturing, or laboratory operation, it’s important to understand the different hazardous waste types to help you create an appropriate hazardous materials business plan.
Farmers, gas station owners, lubricant dealers, and homeowners who use oil in the course of their activities may wonder whether used oil is hazardous waste. Understanding the definition of “used oil” and becoming familiar with used oil regulations will help you comply with all relevant laws.
Businesses that produce hazardous waste—known as “generators”—are expected to obey all applicable requirements when the time comes to transport hazardous waste for recycling, treatment, storage, or disposal. It’s not enough simply to drive your hazardous waste to the appropriate disposal facilities.
As a generator, you have cradle-to-grave responsibility for your hazardous wastes. You must ensure that the hazardous waste transportation services you use are licensed and complete all of the relevant paperwork. Hazardous waste transportation laws are designed to protect human health and the environment, as any toxic substances that are spilled or explode in transit can put communities and drivers’ lives at risk.
Knowing how to properly dispose of chemical waste is essential for anyone who uses or creates chemicals in the course of their work. If disposed of improperly, hazardous chemical waste can contaminate the air, soil, and water and pose a threat to human health.
In the cannabis industry, for example, chemicals are routinely used in grow operations, manufacturing facilities, testing labs, and even retail facilities—and all of these chemicals must be properly disposed of in accordance with the law. If your facility uses chemical products, you need to be well informed about proper waste disposal to prevent legal issues and avoid causing harm to human and environmental health.
It’s not just conventional cigarettes that are polluting our landfills. Disposing of your vape batteries correctly is one of the most important things you can do as a cannabis user or business owner. While vape pens certainly do save rolling paper (and trees), simply tossing the pen in the trash after use can have disastrous consequences for the environment as well as human health.
Storing hazardous materials correctly is an extremely important part of hazardous waste management. Not only does correct storage help to prevent toxic spills, fires, and injuries, but you could land a hefty fine from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) if you fail to follow the relevant laws. It’s important to understand:
– Laws pertaining to the storage of hazardous waste
– Categories of waste generators
– Required hazardous waste storage areas
– Quantity and time limits for hazardous waste storage
– How your hazardous waste should be packaged
– How to avoid hazardous waste storage violations
Read our guide that covers the federal requirements.
“Non-regulated” waste refers to materials that don’t meet the criteria for solid waste, hazardous waste, recyclable waste, or universal waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). While these materials might not be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, proper disposal of these materials is still essential in order to protect human and environmental health.
Class 8 hazardous materials have specific minimum requirements for storing and handling, and it’s important for individuals and businesses to meet these requirements when handling such materials. The first step is understanding:
What Class 8 hazardous materials are
Common examples of Class 8 hazardous materials
Proper storage of Class 8 hazardous materials
The essentials of transporting Class 8 hazardous materials
When it comes to these or any type of hazardous materials, there are both legal and practical considerations.
