Infectious Waste Sharps Disposal Options
Most campus laboratories received a memorandum at the end of last year which discussed State and Federal regulations which govern the disposal of infectious waste sharps. At issue was the fact that campus labs were frequently packaging sharps waste (e.g. hard plastic and glass pipettes, hard plastic Petrie plates) in infectious waste bags instead of approved sharps containers as required by regulation.

In response to concerns expressed regarding the cost associated with this effort, the Deparment of Environmental Health and Safety approached the state and local regulatory agencies charged with overseeing biohazardous waste compliance in our area. Based on a procedure developed by Rosalie Roach and the staff of the Cytogenetics lab in the Medical Research & Library Building (IB), both the Indiana State Department of Health and the Marion County Health Department have approved an alternative disposal procedure.

In place of a single-use disposable sharps container, the following protcol is approved for the processing of hard plastic infectious sharps such as pipets and Petrie plates. Please note that this procedure is not approved for the disposal of higher-hazard sharps such as metal lancets, scalpel blades, syringes or needles.

• At the point in time when a applicable sharp item is generated, the sharp is to be placed into a hard plastic, reusable container. The container is required to have a tight fitting lid and must have a universal biohazard label on it. Campus labs are currently using reusable Nalgene pipet trays and 5-gallon tanks complete with a cover. Staff have also found that vinyl biohazard labels withstand continued handling and autoclaving quite well.

• Following in-house treatment (autoclaving), the treated wastes can then be transferred from the reusable sharps containers to any standard cardboard box. The box does not need to be a comercially-available infectious waste or glass box. The box is then to be taped shut and labeled with the following information:

             - Contains Treated Biohazardous Waste
             - Building and Room Number of Generation
             - Contact Telephone Number

• The final disposal of the boxed waste will be coordinated by your Building Services representative.

Campus labs have found that, by utilizing this protocol, the disposal cost for pipets, Petrie plates and like waste has dropped from $10.00 - $1500 for each larger, non-reusable sharps container to $1.00 or less.

On a related note, staff have frequently inquired as to what types of noninfectious disposable plastic labware need to be boxed for disposal. EHS has identified hard plastic pipets and Petrie plates as presenting the greatest safety hazard while being handled as a waste item. Other labware constructed of softer, more pliable plastics or items of a geometric shape that provides enhanced structural durability such as capped culture bottles, glasks and centrifuge tubes have not been identified as creating significant safety hazards for campus personnel.

Please contact Kevin Mouser at 274-4351 for additional information on this issue.

INFECTIOUS WASTE UPDATE

EHS has recently evaluated and approved the use of a cardboard sharps container distributed by Fisher Scientific Co. for the handling and disposal of a limited type of potentially-infectious biohazardous sharps waste. The container has been determined to be adequate for the handling and disposal of hard plastic pipets, Petrie plates, culture bottles and flasks and other similar lab waste. It is not approved for infectious waste constructed out of metal such as hypodermic needles, lancets and scalpels. The container does offer another alternative to the disposal alternatives discussed previously.

This container is comprised of two cardboard boxes and a plastic liner which creates a box-within-a box arrangement. When properly assembled, the system readily withstands autoclaving while remaining physically intact. Biological testing on campus has consistently shown that materials placed into the boxes are effectively treated by the autoclave process and that the dual boxing does not act to insulate the contents.

The container, manufactured by Maxim Medical Supply, is distributed by Fisher Scientific. There are three sizes available; 2 ½ gallons, 5 gallons, and 11 gallons. Contact Fisher Scientific at (800)766-7000 or at Fisher Science and reference catalog number 22-278-117 for additional information.

Contact EHS at 317-274-4351 with any biohazardous (infectious) waste disposal question or concern.