Resources
Better questions.
More informed decisions.
Use these practical guides to prepare for a service conversation. Confirm your facility’s requirements with a qualified provider.
11 questions that can improve your medical waste program
A practical review checklist for facility managers comparing medical waste service options.
How to compare medical waste disposal costs
Compare the complete service scope, collection schedule and contract terms before selecting a provider.
Pharmaceutical waste: what to ask before requesting service
Prepare for a provider conversation about facility-generated pharmaceutical waste and eligible stock returns.
What is regulated medical waste?
Regulated medical waste is healthcare waste that may carry blood or other potentially infectious material. See how EPA and Tennessee describe it before you request a quote.
Sharps container rules for clinics
OSHA requires contaminated sharps to go into closable, puncture-resistant, leakproof, labeled containers that stay upright and are replaced before they overfill.
Dental office medical waste disposal
Prepare a dental office waste quote by listing sharps, blood-contaminated waste, pharmaceuticals, and amalgam questions your provider must confirm.
Veterinary clinic medical waste disposal
Describe veterinary clinic sharps, blood-contaminated waste, and any research carcasses before requesting a Tennessee medical waste quote.
How to request a medical waste disposal quote
List facility type, ZIP code, waste streams, container volume, and pickup needs so a Tennessee medical waste quote covers the service you want.
Is medical waste hazardous waste?
Medical waste is not automatically hazardous waste. Tennessee regulates non-hazardous medical waste under its solid waste rules and treats hazardous waste as a separate determination.
What label does OSHA require on a waste container?
OSHA requires a warning label on containers of regulated waste, with stated exceptions. A red bag or red container may substitute for that label.
Sharps container or other regulated-waste container?
OSHA uses a puncture-resistant container for contaminated sharps and a different closable container for other regulated waste. Do not treat the two as interchangeable.
What bloodborne-pathogen training does OSHA require?
OSHA requires bloodborne-pathogen training at assignment and at least annually, at no cost and during working hours. A waste pickup quote is not that training.
What is an OSHA exposure control plan?
Employers with occupational exposure must keep a written exposure control plan and review it at least annually. A medical waste contract does not replace that plan.
What a reusable sharps container still cannot do
A reusable sharps container must still meet OSHA containment rules. Staff must not open, empty, or clean it in a way that can cause a percutaneous injury.
Home sharps are not a facility waste pickup
FDA home sharps guidance is for consumers, not healthcare facilities. A facility quote request is not the household disposal path.
What did the hazardous-waste pharmaceutical rule change?
The 2019 EPA rule set management standards for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals at healthcare facilities and prohibited sewer disposal of those wastes.
Nursing facility pharmaceutical waste
Nursing care facilities are among the settings the hazardous-waste pharmaceutical rule can affect. Applicability still depends on the waste the facility actually handles.
Mail-back sharps programs
FDA describes mail-back for certain consumer sharps containers, usually for a fee. A healthcare facility confirms any mail-back contract separately from that consumer guidance.
What happens to medical waste after collection?
Follow the questions from waste identification and collection to treatment, final disposal and records. The route depends on the waste stream, provider and state requirements.