Medical Waste Disposal Oakland, CA

Medical Waste Disposal Oakland, CA

Oakland is a booming West Coast city and its Port of Oakland is the busiest port in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having been incorporated in 1852, “The Town” is the county seat of Alameda County and is one of the most ethnically diverse major cities in the country. Oakland is renowned for its environmental credentials, topping the list of the 50 largest US cities using electricity from renewable sources. The city is home to the oldest wildlife sanctuary in the nation and has over 19 miles of vibrant shoreline. As such the city recognizes that medical waste and proper disposal remain a major concern for America and so it is important to understand why, and how, to stay compliant in the “Bump City”.

Enforcing Proper Medical Waste Disposal Oakland, California

Oakland operates strict regulations on biohazard waste disposal that are set out in the California Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA). The Act governs the management of medical waste in all jurisdictions of the State and in many counties it is the State that is the Local Enforcement Agency. However, in Oakland it is the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) that is responsible for implementing and enforcing the MWMA.

The Act defines medical waste as products meeting both of the following requirements:

1. Waste that is generated or produced as a result of the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of humans or animals. This includes waste generated in clinical research.
2. Waste that is either biohazardous in nature or considered sharps waste, such as used hypodermic needles or lancets.

Medical waste is often incorrectly assumed to include all products used in healthcare practice. However, medical waste does not include products commonly found in healthcare facilities that do not contain an infectious agent.

Containing and Storing Your Medical Waste

Alameda County DEH ensures that the public health and surrounding environment are protected from potentially infectious causing agents. Rules for the handling, storage, treatment and disposal of medical waste vary depending on the type of waste. Waste must be segregated from other municipal waste (trash) at the point of contamination. Sharps must be placed in rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant containers. Biohazardous waste must be placed in a red biohazard bag clearly labeled with the words “Biohazardous Waste” or with the international biohazard symbol and the word “BIOHAZARD.” Pathological waste must be segregated from other medical waste and labeled with the words “Pathology Waste” or “ PATH”.

Waste must be stored in such a way that it does not pose a risk to those that it might come into contact with. Therefore biohazard bags must be tied to prevent leakage or expulsion of contents during all storage, handling, or transport. Containers must be leak resistant and kept clean. Containers should be regularly inspected for damage and discarded when no longer fit for purpose. Sharps containers must be tightly closed with tape and not left for longer than seven days. They must be labeled with the words “sharps waste” or with the international biohazard symbol and the word “BIOHAZARD”.

Don’t Get Bumped in Bump City

Medical waste generators in Oakland must ensure that their waste is treated properly and rendered into solid waste, thereby making it safe. There are a number of options available in managing biohazard waste disposal. Incineration is the most common method and uses extremely high temperatures to kill bacteria. At such high temperatures, no bacteria are able to survive and the items are deemed safe for recycling or disposal. Incineration must take place at a permitted medical waste treatment facility in a controlled-air, multi-chamber incinerator. Other alternative medical waste treatment methods, such as steam sterilization that result in the destruction of pathogenic micro-organisms, can also be approved.

Healthcare providers generating medical waste are required to submit a Medical Waste Management Plan with Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (DEH). The plan must specify:

• The types of medical waste generated at the facility
• Whether they are large quantity generators (more than 200lbs per month) or small quantity generators (less than 200lbs per month)
• Whether medical waste treatment takes place ‘on-site’ or ‘off-site’.
• Whether they are a Common Storage Facility that provides facilities for other small quantity generators (SQGs) to haul and accumulate their waste at.

Handling and treating your own medical waste is a complicated process and requires significant financial investment in setting up treatment infrastructure. Many medical waste generators, whether they are medical practices, funeral homes, tattoo parlors or veterinary clinics, choose to employ medical waste disposal companies to fulfill their needs. This removes the burden of having to treat the medical waste themselves and is far more cost-effective than setting up their own on-site facilities.

The Sharp End of Biohazardous Waste Disposal

Individuals at home treating illnesses such as diabetes throw billions of needles into the trash each year. Even when placed into a secured container, these containers break open when the trash truck compacts them and workers are at risk of being stuck and infected by the needles. It is now against the law for individuals to place home-generated sharps into municipal trash or recycling containers.

There are two ways that Oakland residents can legally dispose of home-generated sharps waste:

• Alameda County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) facilities provide convenient and free collection centers and local weekend sharps collection events.
• Purchase a mail-back sharps container, carried by some pharmacies. These approved containers come with a prepaid box to mail the container back.

MedPro Disposal Solutions in “Oaktown”

At MedPro Disposal we have built our reputation in Oakland on services that are reliable, effective, safe, and most importantly, affordable. Our teams of experts are at the end of the phone and will listen to your needs to develop an alternative medical waste management program that will save you money. We even offer OSHA training services for your employees so that the program is carried out safely and efficiently. Our mail-back service can be a cost-effective solution and allows some facilities to post smaller levels of waste in the regular mail.

Whatever solution your company needs MedPro Disposal is here to listen and ready to deliver. Give us a call today!