Medical and Healthcare Waste

New York City and State have strict requirements regarding the storage, treatment, transport, and disposal of medical and healthcare waste and by-products.

Regulated Medical Waste

New York State's Regulated Medical Waste Program regulates the handling, storage, treatment, and disposal of certain waste produced by hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers, residential health care facilities, and clinical laboratories. It is jointly administered by NY State Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Regulated medical waste includes:

• Human blood and blood products
• Needles and syringes (sharps)
• Laboratory waste (cultures, microbiological materials, dyalysus waste)
• Human pathological waste
• Contaminated or infectious animal carcasses
• Material contaminated with blood, body fluids, or other infectious waste
• Waste from surgery or autopsies

Medical waste disposal regulations apply to:

• Hospitals
• Health care facilities
• Nursing homes
• Diagnostic and treatment facilities
• Clinical and research laboratories
• Veterinary clinics
• Pharmacies
• Funeral homes

Regulated institutions with medical waste must file reports to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

An annual Solid Waste Removal Plan must be subimtted to DSNY.

Sharps

New York State law requires hospitals and nursing homes to help New Yorkers safely dispose of needles, syringes, lancets, and other sharp objects.

Pharmacies are not required to participate in sharps take-backs, but may choose to participate in the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP).

Learn more about the NYS Safe Sharps Collection Program.

Medication

Medical offices cannot discard medication in the trash – they must follow guidelines for disposal of regulated medical waste.

Pharmacies are encouraged to accept medication from customers for safe disposal.

Drug Take Back Programs

Drug manufacturers and pharmacies can participate in drug take back programs.

• Partner with a vendor and provide customers with postage-paid collection envelopes for them to mail back medicines or collect medications on-site and send to vendor.
• If you choose to collect medication in your store, place collection containers in a secure place where only qualified pharmacy employees can access them.
• Inform customers about the dangers of flushing medicine down the toilet.
• Make it clear that you cannot accept controlled substances, and be sure people know that illegal drugs must be turned in to the proper authorities.
• Put up a sign telling people that you accept unwanted medications or provide postage.

Learn more about New York State's Drug Take Back Act.

Learn about the dangers of drugs in New York's waters.

Radiation Therapy

Chemicals used for radiation therapy (for example, with radioiodine or iodine-131 commonly used for the treatment and diagnosis of cancer) can be excreted from the body into tissues, diapers, or sanitary napkins.

Do not dispose of these contaminated items in the trash or toilet.

• Separate the contaminated items from other trash and place in a closed bin.
• Keep the bin in a location away from people, so that the radiation can naturally dissipate prior to disposal.

Medical Equipment and Accessories

Separate items that are mostly metal and rigid plastic for recycling, otherwise place with trash. Set out according to your carter's specifications.