The primary objective of medical waste management is to minimize the risk of disease transmission. In reality, a significant portion of medical waste is actually considered to be non-infectious. To reduce both the risk of infection and the cost of disposing of infectious waste, non-infectious waste must be segregated from infectious or RMW at the point of generation as determined primarily by state rather than federal regulations (Table 4).9,17
Wastes | Examples/Comments |
---|---|
Sharps contaminated with blood and OPIM |
Needles, scalpel blades, suture needles, endodontic files, orthodontic wires, local anesthetic cartridges, and glass slides
|
Contaminated disposable items
|
Disposable absorbent materials
|
Disposable non-absorbent materials
|
|
Pathological waste |
Unfixed oral tissues removed during surgery, biopsies, and extracted teeth
|
Microbiological waste |
All culture media, disposable culture dishes, and devices used to inoculate media are considered RMW |
Liquid or semi-liquid blood and OPIM |
Blood or OPIM in suction canisters collected during surgical procedures
|
In general, guidance pertaining to non-infectious medical waste disposal falls under the same state and/or local regulations as office waste.4,9,17,18 Liquid RMW generated by suctioning during surgical procedures must be collected in leak-proof, burst resistant suction canisters and disposed of into the sanitary sewage system in compliance with state and/or local regulations. Contaminated sharps must be placed into a sharps container and other RMW must be placed into a “biohazard bag” stored inside a container.4,9,17,18