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Medical Waste
Environmental Health Division
This program regulates generators of medical waste. We inspect medical waste facilities, on-site medical waste treatment units, and common storage areas and investigate complaints regarding a facility’s medical waste handling. Some facilities that may generate medical waste include hospitals; skilled nursing facilities; and doctor, dentist and veterinarian offices.
If your facility generates 200 pounds or more of medical waste in any one month of a 12-month period, then it is a large quantity generator (LQG) and must be registered with us. If your facility treats medical waste on-site, using steam sterilization or microwave technology, then you must obtain a permit from us.
If your facility generates less than 200 pounds of medical waste per month and does not treat medical waste on-site, then it is a small quantity generator (SQG). If a medical waste accumulation area is used by several SQGs for the storage of medical waste prior to collection by a registered hauler, then it is considered a common storage area and a permit must be issued by us. SQGs receive compliance inspections from time-to-time to establish their status as a large or small quantity generator. The SQG program also provides compliance information via mailers and workshops. On-site consultation/training is available upon request.
Keeping Sharp Medical Waste Update
New
Requirements for Home-Generated Sharps Waste
Beginning on September 1, 2008, State law (Section 118286 of the California Health and Safety Code) makes it illegal to dispose of sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers, and requires that all sharps waste be transported to a collection center in an approved sharps container.
Section 117671 of the California Health and Safety Code defines "home-generated sharps waste" as hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household, including a multifamily residence or household
Sharps Waste Disposal
The
following are options for Orange County residents to dispose of
their home-generated sharps:
Important note—These options will continue to be updated as the
September 1, 2008 deadline nears.
Organization
Name |
City |
Contact
Name |
Contact
Phone |
City
Link |
Program
Details |
| City of Aliso
Viejo |
Aliso Viejo |
Rae Beimer |
949-289-3161 |
 |
Door to Door |
| City of Anaheim |
Anaheim |
Dora Delgadillo |
714-765-6881 |
|
|
| City of Brea |
Brea |
Warren Coleman |
714-990-7696 |
|
|
| City of Buena
Park |
Buena Park |
Doug Brodowski |
714-562-3652 |
|
Senior Center Drop Box |
| Costa Mesa
Sanitary District |
Costa Mesa |
Denise Gilbert |
949-654-8400 |
|
Pharmacy
Drop-Off |
| City of Cypress |
Cypress |
Recycling
Coordinator |
714-229-6747 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of Dana
Point |
Dana Point |
Shanna Wolf |
949-248-3571 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of
Fountain Valley |
Fountain Valley |
Wendy Lee |
714-593-4550
ext.215 |
|
|
| City of
Fullerton |
Fullerton |
Heather Allen |
714-738-6884 |
|
|
| City of Garden
Grove |
Garden Grove |
Ann Cao |
714-741-5554 |
|
|
| City of
Huntington Beach |
Huntington Beach |
Debra Jubinsky |
714-374-5321 |
|
|
| City of Irvine |
Irvine |
Chrystal Denning |
714-480-2315 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of Laguna
Beach |
Laguna Beach |
Liz
Vazquez-Avila |
949-497-0344 |
|
Sharps by mail
and Door to Door |
| City of La
Habra |
La Habra |
Jeff Henderson |
562-905-9792 |
|
|
| City of Laguna
Hills |
Laguna Hills |
|
|
|
Researching
program |
| City of Laguna
Niguel |
Laguna Niguel |
Nancy Palmer |
949-362-4384 |
|
Pharmacy
Drop-Off |
| City of Laguna
Woods |
Laguna Woods |
Douglas Reilly |
949-639-0561 |
|
Sharps by mail,
Door to Door |
| City of La
Palma |
La Palma |
Recycling
Coordinator |
714-837-3618 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of Lake
Forest |
Lake Forest |
Irene Kha |
949-461-3498 |
|
City Hall Drop
Box and Sharps by mail |
| City of Los
Alamitos |
Los Alamitos |
Recycling
Coordinator |
714-229-6747 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of Mission
Viejo |
Mission Viejo |
Denise Matson |
949-470-3010 |
|
Sharps by mail, HHW Collection |
| City of Newport
Beach |
Newport Beach |
Andrea Riles |
949-644-3064 |
|
|
| City of Orange |
Orange |
Greg Warren |
714-744-5551 |
|
Door to Door |
| City of
Placentia |
Placentis |
Eddie De La
Torre |
714-993-8234 |
|
|
| City of Rancho
Santa Margarita |
Rancho Santa
Margarita |
Nate Farnsworth |
949-635-1800 |
|
|
| City of Santa
Ana |
Santa Ana |
Chrystal Denning |
714-480-2315 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of San
Clemente |
San Clemente |
Danna McIntosh |
949-234-4413 |
|
Door to Door |
| City of San
Juan Capistrano |
San Juan
Capistrano |
Ziad Mazboudi |
949-234-4413 |
|
Pharmacy
Drop-off |
| City of Seal
Beach |
Seal Beach |
Recycling
Coordinator |
562-431-2527 |
|
|
| City of Stanton |
Stanton |
David Reyna |
714-379-9222 |
|
Sharps by mail |
| City of Tustin |
Tustin |
Joe Myers |
714-573-3173 |
|
Researching
program |
| City of Villa
Park |
Villa Park |
Ken Domer |
714-998-1500 |
|
|
| Midway Sanitary
District |
Westminster |
Rene Emery |
714-893-3553 |
|
|
| City of Yorba
Linda |
Yorba Linda |
Recycling
Coordinator |
714-961-7106 |
|
Mail back sharps |
| OC Waste and
Recycling |
Unincorporated |
Recycling
Coordinator |
714-834-4000 |
|
Mail back sharps |
Important Note:
Sharps should be
contained in a heavy duty, puncture
resistant container with a tight fitting lid (examples include
plastic detergent bottles, liquid fabric softener bottles, empty
bleach bottles, and red sharps containers).
Additional options include contacting you physician to see if they
will accept them or obtaining a sharps mail back container from your
pharmacy You may also purchase the mail-back containers online.
The following are mail-back services approved by the California
Department of Public Health.
-
Medasend, Inc –
Sharps mail-back service
(800) 200-3581
info@medasend.com
-
Sharps
Compliance, Inc.
SCI Mail Sharps Disposal System
(800) 772-5657
www.sharpsinc.com
-
Stericycle,
Inc.—Sharps mail-back service
(800) 355-8773 ,(800) 527-0666
www.stericycle.com
-
WCM (Waste &
Compliance Management, Inc.)
(866) 436-9264
www.wcminc.net
Registration
Registration requirements for facilities that generate, store or treat medical waste are determined by the amount of waste generated and the storage and treatment location of the waste.
Large Quantity Generator (LQG)
An LQG is a facility that generates 200 pounds or more of medical waste in any one-month of a 12-month period. All LQGs are required to register with the Environmental Health Division.
Small Quantity Generator (SQG)
An SQG is a facility that generates less than 200 pounds of medical waste per month in every month of a 12-month period.
-
SQGs that do not treat medical waste are not required to register with the Environmental Health Division.
-
SQGs that treat medical waste on the premises are required to register with the Environmental Health Division. The treatment methods must meet California Department of Health Services requirements.
www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/environmental/Med_Waste/
Permits
Facilities that treat medical waste on-site or store medical waste for more than one generator are required to obtain a permit from the Environmental Health Division in addition to maintaining current registration.
For additional information regarding permits for medical waste facilities, please call Environmental Health Medical Waste Management program at (714)
433-6000 to speak to a Specialist.
Information
A copy of the Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA), which governs the management of medical waste in all jurisdictions in the State, is available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on the California Department of Health Services webpage:
www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/ddwem/environmental/Med_Waste/.
Initial Containment of Medical Waste
-
Medical waste must be separated from other wastes at the point of origin.
-
Biohazardous waste must be placed in red bags conspicuously labeled with "BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE" or the international biohazard symbol with the word "BIOHAZARD." The red bags must be impervious to water and thick enough to pass a 165-gram dart impact test.
-
Sharps waste must be contained in rigid, puncture and leak resistant containers. These containers shall be labeled with "SHARPS WASTE" or the international biohazard symbol with the word "BIOHAZARD."
-
Grinders, compactors or trash chutes are not to be used for medical waste prior to treatment.
Chemotherapy waste, pathology waste and pharmaceutical waste must be separated from other medical waste. These types of waste must be incinerated at a permitted medical waste incinerator.
Common Storage Facility (CSF)
A CSF is used to store medical waste by more than one SQG or operates as a collection point for medical waste. Common storage facilities are required to register with the Environmental Health Division.
For additional information regarding registration of medical waste facilities, please call Environmental Health Medical Waste Management program at (714)
433-6000 to speak to a Specialist.
Medical Waste Storage Containers
Containers and carts used to store closed bags of medical waste must be:
Washed and decontaminated after each use.
Final Storage
The final storage area is where containers of medical waste are stored for disposal or treatment. The final storage area is required to be:
-
Secured to prevent access to unauthorized persons
-
Marked with warning signs easily legible from 25 feet away. The signs must state in English and Spanish and any other appropriate language, "CAUTION-BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE STORAGE AREA-UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT".
-
Protected from animals and natural elements
For specific information regarding the operation of medical waste facilities, please call Environmental Health Medical Waste Management program at (714)
433-6000 to speak to a Specialist.
Links
Medical Waste Management Program, California Department of Health Services
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