Segregating and Classifying Medical Waste in California

What is Segregation of Medical Waste?

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Segregating of medical waste is the process of separating different types of healthcare waste at the point of generation. 

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It is best to think of segregation of medical waste as what container or category each waste belongs in. In order to segregate your waste, you must first identify the type of waste as defined by the California Medical Waste Management Act (CMWMA).

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For example, after a needle or syringe is used - you should classify it as sharps waste and place it into a designated sharps container.

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Importance of Segregation in California

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Properly segregating your waste helps reduce the risk of injury, ensures that medical waste is properly treated, keeps medical waste costs low, and ensures compliance with California medical waste management.

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Some benefits involved with proper segregation include:

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Reduce the risk of injury:

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Biohazard waste contains potentially infectious materials and segregating waste streams appropriately means placing them into the correct, labeled containers. 

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Segregating your medical waste can drastically decrease the chance of needlestick injuries. Since used needles and other sharps waste can stick through red bags, ensuring they are properly segregated into a sharps container will help reduce the risk of injury.

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Hazardous wastes such as chemical waste and radioactive waste can be reactive or flammable, meaning that it requires special handling and disposal and improper handling can result in a serious chemical reaction and even an explosion.

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Compliance with California Medical Waste Regulations:

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Medical waste disposal requires segregating medical waste into the correct container and having proper labels for each container in compliance with the Medical Waste Management Act.

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Avoid Environmental Harm:

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Certain streams of medical waste require different treatment methods before disposal. If you are improperly segregating waste at the point of generation, there is a chance that your waste is causing environmental pollution and harm.

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For example, if pharmaceutical waste is placed into the regular trash, it will not be incinerated as outlined in the CMWMA. When pharmaceuticals are placed in regular landfills, it can cause groundwater contamination, persistent pollutants, and issues with aquatic life.

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Categories of Medical Waste in California

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Dependent on the streams of waste your facility generates, you should be segregating your waste into the following containers in California:

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1. Sharps Waste

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All of your used needles, lancets, syringes, and other sharps waste should be disposed of using sharps containers

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2. Biohazard Waste

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Anything that came into contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials should go into your biohazard bin. 

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3. Pathological Waste

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Any organs, tissues, animal carcasses, or other waste derived from a surgery, autopsy, or biopsy should go inside of your Pathological container.

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4. Non-Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste

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Any unused pills or medications that are not labeled as hazardous by the RCRA should go into your Non-Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Container

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5. Trace Chemotherapy Waste

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Any waste which has trace amounts of chemotherapeutic agents should go into your trace chemo container.

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6. Hazardous Waste

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Any hazardous pharmaceuticals or other waste labeled as hazardous by the RCRA should go into its own hazardous waste container.

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7. Non-Hazardous Waste / Regular Trash

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Any regular, non infectious and non regulated waste should go inside of your regular trash bin.

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Each of these containers should be stored in your designated accumulation area until serviced by your medical waste disposal company.