[VIDEO] Medical Waste Disposal Process

San Diego Medical Waste has developed a "best practices" medical waste disposal process to help insure the safety of our team and yours. The following 5 steps will provide a seamless disposal process and minimize exposure to employees.

1. Place sharps containers inside of wall mounts or on countertops and line biohazard waste containers with biohazard bags.

   1. PRO TIP: Prior to use, label each sharps container and biohazard bag with your facility's name, address, and phone number.

2. Immediately after use, properly segregate waste as follows:

   1. Sharps Waste Container (Red/Translucent Red)

      1. A device that has acute rigid corners, or edges.

      2. Vials with NO remaining vaccine.

      3. Syringes (needle attached) with NO remaining vaccine.

   2. Biohazardous Waste Container (Lined with Biohazard Bag

      1. Highly Communicable waste

      2. Laboratory waste

      3. Fluid Blood or Blood Products

      4. Other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)

   3. Pharmaceutical Waste Container (White/Blue)

      1. A prescription, over-the-counter human or veterinary drug.

      2. Vials with remaining pharmaceuticals

      3. Syringes with remaining pharmaceuticals

3. Once full or ready to dispose, tightly close the lid. Use locking tabs and tape when available. Place the entire sharps container in an upright position inside of the regulated medical waste (RMW) container ensuring that no needles spill out.

   1. PRO TIP: It is the generators responsibility to remove sharps containers and biohazard bags from patient rooms and to place them into the medical waste container prior to our arrival on their scheduled service day.

4. Continue to repeat this process during your accumulation period and prior to your scheduled service day. Sharps waste must be placed into a sharps container prior to being placed into the regulated medical waste (RMW)

5. On your scheduled service day, we will perform a one for one exchange of your onsite regulated medical waste (RMW) and deliver any pre ordered products (sharps containers, biohazard bags, etc).

   1. PRO TIP: Any waste that does not make it into the medical waste container prior to our arrival may be placed into the new container for pickup on your next scheduled service day