Medical Waste Disposal in New York
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste, sharps and pharmaceutical waste pickup and disposal for healthcare facilities everywhere in New York — from New York City and Long Island to the Hudson Valley, the Capital Region, Central and Western New York — on a schedule that keeps you inside the state’s 30-day storage limit.
How is medical waste disposal regulated in New York?
New York regulates “regulated medical waste” (RMW) through a program run jointly by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Health (DOH). DEC’s rules, 6 NYCRR Part 365, cover most generators — physician, dental and veterinary offices, funeral homes, labs and others — while DOH’s rules, 10 NYCRR Part 70, cover hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories. Under both, RMW may sit in a storage area for no more than 30 days, must leave with a DEC-authorized transporter on a medical waste tracking form, and records must be kept for three years. In New York City, generators also file a Solid Waste Removal Plan with the Department of Sanitation.
- State term
- Regulated medical waste
- Rules
- 6 NYCRR 365; 10 NYCRR 70
- Enforced by
- NYS DEC and NYS DOH
- Onsite storage
- 30 days max
Key takeaways
- New York regulates medical waste as “regulated medical waste” (RMW), jointly overseen by the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health.
- In New York, DEC’s 6 NYCRR Part 365 covers RMW generators such as medical, dental and veterinary offices, while DOH’s 10 NYCRR Part 70 covers hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories.
- New York generally limits storage of regulated medical waste to 30 days; small generators of under 50 pounds a month get more time — until the container is full under DEC’s rules, or 60 days under DOH’s.
- Every load of regulated medical waste leaving a New York generator must go with a transporter authorized under 6 NYCRR Part 364 and a hard-copy medical waste tracking form.
- New York RMW generators must keep records of their waste by quantity and category, plus tracking documents or treatment certificates, for at least three years.
New York Medical Waste Rules
Medical waste is regulated mainly by each state, with a few federal rules on top. New York’s Regulated Medical Waste Program is administered jointly by DEC, under Environmental Conservation Law Article 27, Title 15, and DOH, under Public Health Law Article 13, Title 13. Which agency’s rules apply to your facility depends on what kind of facility it is — here’s what each requires.
What New York regulates
Regulated Medical Waste (RMW)
Waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of humans or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production and testing of biologicals. It does not include hazardous waste or household medical waste. Also excluded are sharps and other medical waste from self-administered care in a household, bandages and gauze that aren’t saturated with blood or body fluids (other than urine), essentially empty urine collection bags and cups, paraffin-fixed tissue blocks, and veterinary waste generated by the owner of a companion animal. Sharps from cosmetology, ear piercing and tattooing must be managed as RMW.
- Cultures and stocks of infectious agents, and devices used to transfer, inoculate or mix them
- Human pathological waste (tissue, organs, body parts, and body fluids removed during surgery, autopsy or other procedures)
- Human blood and blood products, containers with free-flowing blood, and materials saturated with flowing blood
- Sharps, used or unused
- Animal waste from animals known to be contaminated with, or inoculated with, infectious agents
- Other waste containing infectious agents designated as RMW by the Commissioner of Health
Who regulates medical waste in New York
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation — Bureau of Solid Waste Management
Regulates RMW generators other than DOH-regulated health facilities, all off-site transport and tracking, transporter permits under Part 364, and off-site storage, transfer, treatment and disposal facilities. It also responds to illegal disposal.
NYS Department of Health — Wadsworth Center, Regulated Medical Waste Program
Oversees RMW storage, treatment and disposal at hospitals, residential health care facilities, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories under 10 NYCRR Part 70, approves their waste management and autoclave plans, and approves alternative treatment technologies statewide.
Biggs Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237
Official websiteNYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY)
In New York City, receives each RMW generator’s annual Solid Waste Removal Plan. DSNY does not collect RMW, and RMW can’t go into the city’s municipal waste system.
NYS Department of Labor — Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH)
New York’s OSHA State Plan covers state and local government workers only, enforcing the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in public hospitals, clinics and agencies.
Governor W. Averell Harriman State Building Campus, Building 12, Room 158, Albany, NY 12226
Official websiteFederal OSHA — New York Area Offices
Enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard for private employers in New York through area offices in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, Syracuse and Tarrytown.
Key New York requirements
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who follows which rules | DEC’s generator rules (Subpart 365-1) apply to physician, dental and veterinary practices, funeral homes, research labs, radiopharmacies and any other RMW generator. Hospitals, residential health care facilities, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories follow DOH’s 10 NYCRR Part 70 instead, except where hospitals use bulk packaging or accept RMW from off site. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.1; 10 NYCRR 70-1.1 |
| Waste management plan | Every generator must develop, document and implement written RMW policies and procedures: the waste types and how each is treated, staff training and in-house handling, the location, ventilation, capacity and holding time of each storage area, who monitors compliance, and a contingency plan for spills and emergencies. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(a); 10 NYCRR 70-2.1 |
| Containers and labeling | RMW is separated at the point of generation into primary containers: plastic bags meeting U.S. DOT standards (DOH also requires them to be red) and rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant, closable sharps containers never filled past the fill line. Before off-site transport, bags go into a DOT-compliant secondary container marked with the biohazard symbol or “Biohazard”, labeled for special handling where needed (e.g. “Incinerate Only”) and with the date of transport. Pharmaceutical waste that can’t be separated must be labeled “Incinerate Only”. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(b)(4)–(5), (b)(12)–(14), (c)(5)–(7); 10 NYCRR 70-2.2(d) |
| Onsite storage | RMW may not be kept in a storage area for more than 30 days. Under DEC’s rules, a generator of less than 50 lb a month that doesn’t accept others’ waste may store it until the container reaches the fill line, is full or smells, whichever comes first; in DOH-regulated facilities that small-generator limit is 60 days. The storage area must carry prominent signage, prevent unauthorized access, keep out weather and vermin, be ventilated and hold the waste at a temperature that prevents rapid decomposition. No specific temperatures are set for generators. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(b)(10)–(11); 10 NYCRR 70-2.2(g) |
| Holding times in DOH facilities | In hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical labs, RMW other than sharps may stay in patient care areas for no more than 24 hours and in a clinical laboratory for no more than 72 hours before moving to storage. Sharps containers leave patient care areas when they reach the fill line, and within 30 days regardless of fill level. | 10 NYCRR 70-2.2(e)–(f) |
| Transport and tracking | RMW may be handed over for off-site treatment only to a transporter authorized under 6 NYCRR Part 364, and a hard copy of a medical waste tracking form must go with each load. The transporter must return a copy of the completed tracking document to the generator within 15 days of receiving it from the treatment facility. A generator of under 50 lb a month may haul its own waste only with a DEC Part 364 registration. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(c)(1), (c)(3); 364-3.1(a); 364-5.1(b)(8); 10 NYCRR 70-2.4 |
| Treatment and disposal | RMW must be treated by incineration, autoclaving, a DOH-approved alternative technology or, for liquids, discharge to a sanitary sewer connected to secondary treatment. Sharps must be destroyed before disposal, and body parts rendered unrecognizable. Treated RMW goes to disposal with a NYSDOH certificate of treatment. RMW can’t be compacted before treatment. | 6 NYCRR 365-2.6; 365-1.2(b)(19); Public Health Law § 1389-dd |
| Records | Generators must keep, on site for at least three years, a record of RMW by quantity and category (cultures and stocks, pathological waste, blood and blood products, sharps, animal waste, other) and of how it was managed, including copies of tracking documents or certificates of treatment. An annual report by quantity and category must be submitted to DEC on request. | 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(e); 10 NYCRR 70-2.5 |
- ECL Art. 27, Title 15 (§ 27-1501 et seq.)
Storage, Treatment, Disposal and Transportation of Regulated Medical Waste
DEC’s statutory authority over RMW storage, treatment, disposal, transport and tracking.
- Public Health Law Art. 13, Title 13 (§ 1389-aa et seq.)
Regulated Medical Waste
Defines RMW and its categories and sets out DOH’s authority, including approved treatment methods — incineration, sewer discharge of liquids, autoclaving or other approved decontamination (§ 1389-dd).
- 6 NYCRR Part 365
Regulated Medical Waste and Other Infectious Wastes
Generator requirements (waste management plan, segregation, containers, storage, off-site transfer, recordkeeping) in Subpart 365-1, and treatment, storage and transfer facility standards in Subpart 365-2.
- 6 NYCRR Part 364
Waste Transporters
Permits and registrations for RMW transporters, vehicle and training requirements, waste tracking documents and three-year transporter records.
- 10 NYCRR Part 70
Regulated Medical Waste (Department of Health)
Waste management plans, containment and storage, treatment, off-site transfer and recordkeeping for hospitals, residential health care facilities, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories.
- NYC Admin. Code § 16-120.1
Regulated medical waste in New York City
Requires anyone generating RMW in the city to file a Solid Waste Removal Plan with DSNY naming the generator, transporter and disposal site and estimating monthly quantities.
Federal rules that also apply
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens | Sharps containers must be closable, puncture-resistant, leakproof on the sides and bottom, labeled or color-coded, and kept upright and within easy reach. Other regulated-waste containers must be closable, leak-proof and labeled with the biohazard symbol (or red). New York’s State Plan (PESH) covers only state and local government workers; federal OSHA covers private employers. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iii), (g)(1) |
| DOT shipping | Regulated medical waste ships as Division 6.2, UN3291, in rigid packaging that meets UN Packing Group II standards, with puncture-resistant containers for sharps. New York’s rules adopt these DOT standards for both bags and secondary containers. | 49 CFR 173.134, 173.197; 6 NYCRR 365-1.2(b)(13)–(14) |
Reviewed September 2026. This is a plain-language summary to help you plan, not legal advice — rules change, so confirm details with the agencies above. MedPro handles transport, treatment and manifests for you and can help you understand what applies to your facility.
New York regulated medical waste compliance checklist
Use this to check your facility against New York’s RMW rules (6 NYCRR Part 365, or 10 NYCRR Part 70 for hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical labs) and the federal OSHA standard. MedPro handles the pickup, transport and treatment — the rest happens in your facility.
Get Compliant Pickup- 1
You have a written RMW management plan
Waste types and how each is treated, staff training and in-house handling, each storage area’s location, ventilation, capacity and holding time, who monitors compliance, and a contingency plan for spills and emergencies.
- 2
RMW is separated where it’s generated
Separated from other waste as soon as practicable at the point of generation. Containers of waste that can’t be autoclaved are labeled with the waste type and treatment method, such as “Incinerate Only”.
- 3
Bags and sharps containers meet the standard
Non-sharps RMW goes in plastic bags that meet U.S. DOT standards (red bags in DOH-regulated facilities). Sharps containers are rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant and closable, and never filled past the fill line.
- 4
Full containers move to your storage area
Sharps and other RMW containers move to the storage area once they reach the fill line, are otherwise full, or start to smell. DOH facilities have fixed limits: 24 hours in patient care areas, 72 hours in clinical labs, 30 days for sharps containers.
- 5
Your storage area is signed, secured and sized right
Prominent signage showing it stores RMW, protected from unauthorized access, weather and vermin, ventilated, kept cool enough to prevent rapid decomposition, and big enough for the waste generated between pickups.
- 6
Nothing is stored past 30 days
Small generators (under 50 lb a month, not accepting others’ waste) may hold waste until the container is full or smells under DEC’s rules, or up to 60 days in DOH-regulated facilities.
- 7
Every shipment goes with a tracking form
Boxed in a DOT-compliant secondary container marked with the biohazard symbol or “Biohazard”, handed to a Part 364-authorized transporter, with a hard copy of the medical waste tracking form.
- 8
Records are kept for three years
Quantity and category of RMW, how it was managed, and copies of tracking documents or certificates of treatment. In New York City, also file DSNY’s annual Solid Waste Removal Plan.
New York Medical Waste Savings
Projected annual savings from quotes we’ve prepared for New York practices. Every practice is different — we charge only for the services you need.
See What You Could Save| Practice Type | ZIP Code | Annual SavingsProjected Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Family Practice | 12203 | $6,000 |
| OBGYN | 12208 | $2,854 |
| Orthopedics | 14020 | $4,056 |
| Pediatrics | 12019 | $4,716 |
| Assisted Living Community | 11716 | $1,344 |
| Funeral Home | 14201 | $15,000 |
It’s Easy to Get Started With MedPro Disposal
- 01
Contact Us
Contact MedPro Disposal for a fast, free medical waste removal quote. We’ll get to know you, discuss your needs, and settle on a number.
- 02
Waste Pickup Date
Work with MedPro Disposal to determine your first pickup date. We’ll confirm your office hours and provide convenient options for medical waste and sharps pickup.
- 03
Compliance Survey
After we get to know your requirements, we’ll send you a survey to identify any areas that need to be brought up to OSHA standards. All three steps occur at no additional cost to your practice.
We service all of New York
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste pickup and disposal to healthcare facilities in every part of New York — wherever your practice is. Local service pages include:
Near the state line? We serve the neighboring states too.
New York Medical Waste FAQs
What counts as medical waste in New York?
New York calls it regulated medical waste (RMW): waste from the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of people or animals, related research, or the production and testing of biologicals. It covers cultures and stocks, human pathological waste, human blood and blood products, sharps (used or unused), infectious animal waste, and anything else the Commissioner of Health designates (6 NYCRR 360.2(b)(240); Public Health Law § 1389-aa). Household medical waste and hazardous waste are excluded.
Who regulates medical waste disposal in New York?
Two state agencies share the job. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulates generators such as medical, dental and veterinary offices, all off-site transport and tracking, and off-site treatment facilities. The Department of Health (DOH) oversees waste management inside hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical laboratories. Federal OSHA enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard for private employers, New York’s PESH program covers public employers, and U.S. DOT rules govern shipping.
How long can a medical practice store medical waste in New York?
No more than 30 days in a storage area. If you generate less than 50 lb a month and don’t accept waste from other facilities, DEC’s rules let you store it until the container reaches its fill line, is otherwise full or starts to smell, whichever comes first (6 NYCRR 365-1.2(b)(11)). Hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinical labs follow DOH’s rule instead: 30 days, or 60 days for sites generating under 50 lb a month (10 NYCRR 70-2.2(g)(3)). MedPro sets your pickup schedule so you stay inside these limits.
Do New York medical practices need a written medical waste plan?
Yes. Every RMW generator must develop, document and follow written policies and procedures covering the types of waste it generates and how each is treated, staff training and in-house handling, each storage area’s location, ventilation, capacity and holding time, who is responsible for compliance, and a contingency plan for spills and emergencies (6 NYCRR 365-1.2(a); 10 NYCRR 70-2.1 for DOH-regulated facilities).
What does New York require of medical waste haulers?
Anyone transporting RMW that starts or ends in New York needs a DEC waste transporter permit under 6 NYCRR Part 364 (a generator hauling its own waste in shipments under 50 lb a month needs a Part 364 registration instead). Haulers must train staff on hazardous materials at least every three years, use fully enclosed, lockable vehicles that don’t compact the waste, refuse leaking or improperly labeled packages, report leaks to DEC within 48 hours, and return a copy of the completed tracking document to you within 15 days of receiving it from the treatment facility (6 NYCRR 364-4.9, 364-5.1).
How long do I need to keep medical waste records in New York?
At least three years. Keep a record of your RMW by quantity and category and how it was managed, along with copies of your tracking documents or certificates of treatment, on site and available for DEC to inspect (6 NYCRR 365-1.2(e); 10 NYCRR 70-2.5). DEC can also ask for an annual report of the RMW you generated.
Does New York City have its own medical waste rules?
The state rules apply in the city, with one local addition: anyone generating RMW in New York City must file a Solid Waste Removal Plan with the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) naming the generator, transporter and disposal site and estimating monthly quantities (NYC Admin. Code § 16-120.1). DSNY asks for the plan annually, with a copy of your most recent medical waste tracking form. DSNY does not collect RMW, and it can’t go into the city’s municipal waste system.
Where in New York does MedPro Disposal provide service?
Everywhere in New York — we service facilities statewide, from New York City and Long Island through the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and Central and Western New York. We also have local service pages for Albany, Manhattan, Rochester, Syracuse, Williamsville and Yonkers.
Our services in New York
Industries we serve
Sources
- 6 NYCRR Part 360 Series (Parts 360, 364 and 365), effective July 22, 2023 — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Regulated Medical Waste — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Waste Transporters — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Medical Waste Tracking Form — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- 10 NYCRR Part 70 — Regulated Medical Waste — New York State Department of Health
- 10 NYCRR 70-2.2 — Containment and storage — New York State Department of Health
- Managing Regulated Medical Waste — New York State Department of Health
- Regulated Medical Waste Program — Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health
- Public Health Law § 1389-aa — Definitions — New York State Senate, Open Legislation
- Public Health Law § 1389-dd — Treatment and disposal — New York State Senate, Open Legislation
- Environmental Conservation Law § 27-1501 (Art. 27, Title 15) — New York State Senate, Open Legislation
- NYC Administrative Code § 16-120.1 — New York City Administrative Code (American Legal Publishing)
- Solid Waste Removal Plan Reporting — NYC Department of Sanitation
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 — U.S. OSHA
- New York State Plan (PESH) — U.S. OSHA
- New York OSHA Area Offices — U.S. OSHA
- Infectious substances, 49 CFR 173.134 — eCFR
- Regulated medical waste, 49 CFR 173.197 — eCFR
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