Medical Waste

• 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).
• All LQGs are required to register with the Environmental Health Division.

• An SQG is a facility that generates less than 200 pounds of medical waste per month in every month of a 12-month period. 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).
• All medical waste SQGs are required to submit a notification to the Environmental Health Division.

• A CSF is used to store medical waste by more than one SQG.
• Common storage facilities are required to obtain a permit from the Environmental Health Division. 

If a medical waste SQG or LQG facility treats medical waste on-site, then a permit from the Environmental Health Division is required.
 

•  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. 

Containers and carts used to store closed bags of medical waste must be:

• Leak resistant
• Tightly covered
• Clean and in good repair
• Labeled on all sides with "BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE" or the international biohazard symbol and the word "BIOHAZARD"
• Washed and decontaminated after each use.

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

All medical waste shall be hauled by a registered hazardous waste hauler, registered medical waste transporter, the United States Postal Service, or by a person with an exception granted pursuant to Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA), §117946 for small quantity generators or §117976 for large quantity generators.

The exception: A medical waste generator or parent organization that employs health care professionals who generate medical waste may transport medical waste generated in limited quantities up to 35.2 pounds to the central location of accumulation, provided that all of the following are met:
(1) The principal business of the generator is not to transport or treat regulated medical waste.
(2) The generator shall adhere to the conditions and requirements set forth in the materials of trade exception, as specified in Section 173.6 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(3) A person transporting medical waste shall provide a form or log to the receiving facility, and the receiving facility shall maintain the form or log for a period of two years, containing all of the following information:
(A) The name of the person transporting the medical waste.
(B) The number of containers of medical waste transported.
(C) The date the medical waste was transported.

• A Registered Medical Waste Generator may participate in, and generate medical waste at, a temporary event without further registration or permitting required.
• The medical waste generator shall notify this agency at least 72 hours before the event.
  • Send notification by email to: OMedicalWaste@ochca.com
    • Include the following information in the email notification:
    • Medical waste generator's business name, address, and phone number
    • Location of Temporary Event
    • Date & Times of Temporary Event

Most medicines can be disposed of in the trash. However, it is important to take proper steps to prevent accidental ingestion when throwing old medicine away.

View medication drop box locations 
How to monitor, secure and destroy your medications

California law prohibits disposal of home-generated sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers, and requires that all sharps waste be disposed of safely.  You can find more information about sharps disposal at the CalRecycle website.

Sharps users have several options available to them to meet the requirements of the law:

• Orange County’s four Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers (HHWCCs) accept sharps for disposal. Residents should place the sharps in a heavy-duty, puncture-resistant container with a tight fitting lid. Examples of appropriate containers are empty plastic bottles such as detergent, liquid fabric softener or bleach bottles.  
• The Environmental Protection Agency provides guidance on safe needle disposal here.
• Some cities have programs for sharps disposal for their residents. Check with your city’s recycling coordinator for programs specific to your city.

Click here to see a list of mail-back services approved by the California Department of Public Health.