Medical Waste Management in
Morris County

Concern with medical waste has exploded in the past following public exposure to discarded blood vials, needles, empty prescription bottles and syringes, particularly along the nation’s beaches, streets, and landfills. Morris County health care organizations, which include nursing homes, hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, dental offices, veterinary facilities, and other medical laboratories and research facilities, must learn to manage all their waste according to New Jersey and Morris County rules. This page presents the types of waste that a health care organization many generate and a description of how these wastes must be managed.

There are four types of wastes which health care organizations may generate. These include:

1. Regulated Medical Waste (RMW);
2. Non-Regulated Medical Waste (Type 10C);
3. Non-Medical Solid Waste (Type 10); and
4. Recyclables.

(1) Regulated Medical Waste (RMW): RMW is defined as any solid waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment, immunization, or research of human beings or animals or in the production or testing of biologicals. The waste generator must make arrangements with a licensed hauler and have the RMW manifested and transported to a designated RMW collection facility.   This material cannot be disposed of at the MCMUA Transfer Stations

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection specifies the following list of medical wastes to be tracked under N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.6(a):

• Isolation wastes: Biological waste and discarded materials contaminated with blood, excretion, exudates, or secretions from humans who are isolated to protect others from certain highly communicable diseases, or isolated animals known to be infected with highly communicable diseases.

• Cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals: Cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals; including cultures from medical and pathological laboratories; cultures and stocks of infectious agents from research and industrial laboratories; wastes from the production of biologicals; discarded live and attenuated vaccines; and culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate and mix cultures.

• Human blood and blood products: Liquid waste human blood; products of blood; items saturated and/or dripping with blood; or items that were saturated and/or dripping with human blood that are now caked with dried human blood; including serum, plasma, and other blood components, and their containers, which were used or intended for use in either patient care, testing and laboratory analysis or the development of pharmaceuticals. Intravenous bags are also included in this category.

• Pathological wastes: Human pathological wastes, including tissues, organs and body parts and body fluids that are removed during surgery or autopsy, or other medical procedures, and specimens of body fluids and their containers.*

• Sharps: Sharps that have been used in animal or human patient care or treatment or in medical research, or industrial laboratories, including hypodermic needles, syringes (with or without the attached needle), Pasteur pipettes, scalpel blades, blood vials, needles with attached tubing, and culture dishes (regardless of presence of infectious agents). Also included are other types of broken or unbroken glassware that were in contact with infectious agents, such as used slides and cover slips.

• Animal waste: Contaminated animal carcasses, body parts, and bedding of animals that were known to have been exposed to infectious agents during research (including research in veterinary hospitals), production of biologicals, or testing of pharmaceuticals.

• Unused sharps: The following unused, discarded sharps: hypodermic needles, suture needles, syringes, and scalpel blades.

* Regulated body fluids means liquids emanating or derived from humans and limited to blood; cerebrospinal, pericardial, peritoneal, pleural and synovial fluids; and semen and vaginal secretions. Dialysate solution and amniotic fluid have also been recently included in this definition by the EPA.

(2) Non-Regulated Medical Waste (Non-RMW): This waste, classified as "Type 10C," includes anything which a patient may have touched (e.g. tongue depressors, examining table paper, cups, bibs, tubing, etc.) but is not RMW. Since this waste is not RMW it can be collected by a normal solid waste collection company for transport to one of the Morris County Transfer Stations. This waste is disposed of at the transfer stations at slightly higher rates than non-medical solid waste but typically much less expensive than RMW. Because this non-RMW is more expensive than non-medical solid waste, it must be delivered to the transfer stations separately from non-medical solid waste. You must make arrangements with your solid waste collector to provide you with a dumpster for Non-RMW. Many health care organizations over-classify Non-RMW as RMW and end up paying much more to manage their waste than they have to.

(3) Non-Medical Solid Waste (Non-MSW): This waste includes all waste that is not RMW, is not Non-RMW and is not recyclable. This waste is typically generated by the administrative or office components of a health care organization.

Because of extensive recycling, especially of paper, this portion of the waste stream may be very small; therefore, health care organizations should work with their solid waste collectors/haulers to determine whether it is more cost effective to have two dumpsters going to the transfer stations (one for Non-RMW and one for Non-MSW) or whether to treat all Non-MSW as Non-RMW and just pay the slightly higher fee.  In addition, when several different health care organizations are located within the same building, it may be worthwhile for them to team up and share the expense of the Non-RMW dumpster.

(4) Recyclable Waste: Source separated recycling is the primary method of recycling materials and is required for mandated recyclable materials. Source separation means the materials are separated at the source from the trash by the generator so they can be recycled. Morris County’s list of mandated materials include: (a) aluminum containers, (b) household batteries, (c) corrugated cardboard, (d) glass containers, (e) mixed paper, (f) newspaper, (g) plastic containers (#1 and #2), (h) steel cans, (i) asphalt roofing shingles, (j) automobile batteries, (k) motor oil, (l) oil-contaminated soil, (m) stumps, (n) tires, (o) vegetative waste (leaves, brush, grass), and (p) white goods (appliances). Items (a) through (h) can be dropped off at the Morris County Consolidation Center in Dover.  In addition, you may provide the recycling of the required recyclables through the private market. Finally, you should contact your municipality to discuss what options they may provide you.