Medical Waste Disposal in Tennessee
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste, sharps and pharmaceutical waste pickup and disposal for healthcare facilities everywhere in Tennessee — from Memphis and West Tennessee through Middle Tennessee to Knoxville and the Tri-Cities — on a schedule built around how much waste you generate.
How is medical waste disposal regulated in Tennessee?
Tennessee regulates “medical wastes” as a special waste under the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act and Chapter 0400-11-01 of the TDEC solid waste rules, administered by the Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Land Protection. Those rules bar landfills from taking untreated cultures and stocks, bulk blood and body fluids, or recognizable human organs and body parts, and require sharps to be in puncture-proof containers before landfilling. Hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers licensed by the Health Facilities Commission must also segregate, package, store and treat infectious waste to state standards. For every employer, TOSHA — the state’s OSHA State Plan — enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, and U.S. DOT rules govern shipping.
- State term
- Medical wastes (a special waste)
- Rule
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01
- Regulated by
- TDEC Division of Land Protection
- OSHA
- TOSHA State Plan
Key takeaways
- Tennessee regulates medical waste as “medical wastes,” a category of special waste, under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 0400-11-01, issued under the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act (T.C.A. §68-211-101 et seq.).
- Tennessee revised its legal definition of medical wastes effective July 15, 2025, centering it on liquid or semi-liquid blood and other potentially infectious materials, cultures and stocks, pathological waste, sharps and contaminated research animals.
- Tennessee landfills may not accept untreated cultures and stocks of infectious agents, bulk blood or body fluids, or recognizable human organs and body parts, and sharps must be in puncture-proof containers before landfilling.
- Tennessee hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers must place contaminated sharps directly into leakproof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers that are then tightly sealed, under Health Facilities Commission rules 0720-14-.10 and 0720-20-.10.
- Tennessee runs its own OSHA State Plan, TOSHA, which enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard for private employers and state and local government workers and adds its own sharps injury prevention rule.
Tennessee Medical Waste Rules
Medical waste is regulated mainly by each state, with a few federal rules on top. Tennessee has no stand-alone medical waste law: the Department of Environment and Conservation treats “medical wastes” as a special waste under its solid waste rules, the Health Facilities Commission sets infectious waste standards for the hospitals and surgery centers it licenses, and TOSHA enforces worker protection. Here’s what they require of a practice, clinic or other healthcare facility.
What Tennessee regulates
Medical Wastes
The following solid wastes: liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials; contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed; items caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and capable of releasing them; and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials — plus cultures and stocks of infectious agents, pathological wastes, discarded sharps, and contaminated animal carcasses, body parts and bedding. Medical wastes are listed among Tennessee’s “special wastes”: solid wastes that are difficult or dangerous to manage.
- Liquid or semi-liquid blood and other potentially infectious materials, and items that would release them
- Cultures and stocks of infectious agents, including discarded live and attenuated vaccines and culture dishes and devices
- Pathological wastes (tissues, organs and body parts removed during surgery and autopsy)
- Discarded sharps used in patient care or in contact with infectious agents in laboratories (needles, syringes, pasteur pipettes, broken glass, scalpel blades)
- Contaminated carcasses, body parts and bedding of animals intentionally exposed to pathogens in research, biologicals production or in vivo pharmaceutical testing
Who regulates medical waste in Tennessee
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) — Division of Land Protection, Waste Management Branch
Administers the solid waste rules that define medical wastes and govern their disposal and processing: permits landfills and solid waste processing (including treatment) facilities, reviews special waste applications, and inspects and enforces Chapter 0400-11-01.
Tennessee Health Facilities Commission — Licensure
Licenses hospitals, ambulatory surgical treatment centers and other health care facilities, and enforces the infectious waste standards in their licensing rules (for example, 0720-14-.10 and 0720-20-.10). Took over facility licensure from the Department of Health on July 1, 2022.
Andrew Jackson Building, 9th Floor, 502 Deaderick Street, Nashville, TN 37243
Official websiteTOSHA — Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Runs Tennessee’s OSHA State Plan, which covers private employers and state and local government workers, enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard as adopted by Rule 0800-01-01-.06, and enforces Tennessee’s own sharps injury prevention rule. Federal employers remain under federal OSHA.
Key Tennessee requirements
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who the rules cover | TDEC sets no medical waste generator registration or management plan. Its rules bind landfills, processing facilities and anyone who sends special waste to them. Hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers must have written policies and procedures defining and handling their infectious and hazardous wastes that meet the Commission’s standards. Every employer with exposed staff must follow TOSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01-.01(4), .02(1)(b); 0720-14-.10(1); 0720-20-.10(1) |
| Segregation and packaging (hospitals and surgery centers) | Segregate infectious waste from other waste at the point of generation. Packaging must contain the waste from the point of generation to treatment or disposal. Contaminated sharps go directly into leakproof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers that are then tightly sealed. All infectious waste containers, bags and boxes must be conspicuously identified, pathological waste must be in opaque packaging, and reusable containers must be disinfected each time they’re emptied. Infectious waste may not be compacted or ground before treatment. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-14-.10(3)–(5); 0720-20-.10(3)–(5) |
| Storage | Hospitals and surgery centers must store waste so packaging stays intact, microbial growth and putrefaction are inhibited and unknowing people can’t get to it — protected from animals, precipitation, wind and direct sunlight, and not a breeding place or food source for insects or rodents. Pathological waste must be promptly treated, disposed of or refrigerated. Tennessee sets no fixed storage time limit for generators. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-14-.10(6); 0720-20-.10(6) |
| Landfill restrictions | At Tennessee landfills, sharps must be securely packaged in puncture-proof containers; cultures and stocks of infectious agents must be treated (autoclaved, incinerated) first; bulk blood, blood products and body fluids may not be landfilled (blood-contaminated items like emptied blood bags and bandages are not covered); and recognizable human organs and body parts may not be landfilled. County convenience centers may not accept medical waste. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01-.04(2)(k)4.; 0400-11-01-.10(3)(m) |
| Special waste approval | Medical waste is a special waste. A generator that wants to send it to a Tennessee permitted landfill or processing facility must apply to TDEC for a waste evaluation unless TDEC decides one isn’t needed, and facilities can’t accept special waste without written approval unless their permit allows it. Approvals must be recertified every three years, by July 1, or they expire. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01-.01(4)(b)–(c) |
| Treatment and off-site shipment | Treatment is solid waste processing, and a facility may not store, process or dispose of solid waste without a TDEC permit unless the rules exempt it. Hospitals and surgery centers that treat on site must use indicators in every sterilization or disinfection cycle, verify the device monthly and keep records. Those shipping off site need a written contract and must confirm the receiving site’s state and local approvals. Human limbs and recognizable organs not sent to a mortician must be incinerated or ground and discharged to the sewer. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01-.01(2), .02(1)(b)1.; 0720-14-.10(8)–(10); 0720-20-.10(8)–(10) |
| Sharps injury prevention | Employers must evaluate available engineered sharps injury protection devices and use them where they’re more effective at preventing exposure incidents, list the devices in use in the exposure control plan, and document the type and brand of device involved within six days of any exposure incident. Narrow exceptions apply where a clinician documents a patient-safety concern or the employer shows the device isn’t more effective. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0800-01-10-.04, -.05 |
| Records | Tennessee has no state medical waste manifest and sets no record-retention period for generators. Hospitals and surgery centers must keep treatment cycle and monthly verification records, spill incident reports and their off-site contract available for review. Special waste generators must keep approvals current through three-year recertification. OSHA bloodborne pathogens training records must be kept for three years. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-14-.10(7)–(9); 0400-11-01-.01(4)(c)4.; 29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(2) |
- T.C.A. §68-211-101 et seq.
Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act
The state law under which TDEC’s solid waste rules, including the medical waste definition and landfill restrictions, are issued.
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 0400-11-01
Solid Waste Processing and Disposal
Defines medical wastes and special wastes (.01(2)), sets the special waste approval process (.01(4)), requires permits for solid waste storage, processing and disposal facilities (.02) and restricts what medical waste landfills may accept (.04(2)(k)4.).
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0720-14-.10; 0720-20-.10
Infectious Waste and Hazardous Waste (Hospitals; Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers)
Health Facilities Commission standards for written waste policies, segregation, packaging, storage, spill response, treatment and off-site shipment of infectious waste at licensed hospitals and surgery centers.
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 0800-01-10
Sharps Injury Prevention
TOSHA’s addition to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: employers must evaluate and use engineered sharps injury protection devices and document them, and exposure incidents, in the exposure control plan.
Federal rules that also apply
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens (TOSHA) | Tennessee runs its own OSHA State Plan, covering private employers and state and local government workers, and adopts 29 CFR 1910.1030 through Rule 0800-01-01-.06. Sharps containers must be closable, puncture-resistant, leakproof on the sides and bottom, labeled or color-coded and kept upright; other regulated-waste containers must be closable, leak-proof and labeled with the biohazard symbol (or red); training is required at assignment and at least annually. Tennessee adds its sharps injury prevention rule, Chapter 0800-01-10. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iii), (g)(1), (g)(2); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0800-01-10 |
| 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. With no Tennessee packaging rule for most practices, this is the standard your waste must meet when it leaves your facility. | 49 CFR 173.134, 173.197 |
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.
Tennessee medical waste compliance checklist
Use this to check your facility against Tennessee’s rules and the TOSHA standard. Some items apply only to licensed hospitals and surgery centers, as noted. MedPro handles the pickup, transport and treatment — the rest happens in your facility.
Get Compliant Pickup- 1
Medical waste is separated where it’s generated
Kept out of regular trash from the point of generation. Licensed hospitals and surgery centers must segregate infectious waste at that point by rule.
- 2
Sharps go into leakproof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers
Placed directly into the container, which is then tightly sealed (hospitals and surgery centers). TOSHA requires closable, puncture-resistant, labeled sharps containers for every employer.
- 3
Containers are conspicuously identified
Every bag, box and container of infectious waste is clearly marked, with any extra chemical or radiological hazard flagged too. Pathological waste goes in opaque packaging.
- 4
Your storage area keeps waste protected
Sheltered from animals, rain, wind and direct sunlight, not a food source or breeding place for insects or rodents, and out of reach of people who don’t know what it is.
- 5
Pathological waste doesn’t sit at room temperature
Hospitals and surgery centers must promptly treat or dispose of it, or put it in refrigerated storage.
- 6
Off-site treatment is under a written contract
Hospitals and surgery centers that ship waste off-site must have a written contract, and confirm the receiving site has its state and local approvals, available for review.
- 7
Your sharps injury prevention is documented
TOSHA requires the exposure control plan to list the engineered sharps injury protection devices you use and, within six days of an exposure incident, the type and brand of device involved.
- 8
Staff are trained on bloodborne pathogens
Training at assignment and at least annually for employees with occupational exposure, with training records kept for three years.
Tennessee Medical Waste Savings
Projected annual savings from quotes we’ve prepared for Tennessee 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Home | 37415 | $7,020 |
| Orthopedics | 37027 | $6,828 |
| Health Care Clinic | 37620 | $4,212 |
| OBGYN | 37404 | $1,652 |
| Manufacturing Plant | 37407 | $1,120 |
| Orthopedics | 37620 | $98 |
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 Tennessee
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste pickup and disposal to healthcare facilities in every part of Tennessee — wherever your practice is. Local service pages include:
Near the state line? We serve the neighboring states too.
Tennessee Medical Waste FAQs
What counts as medical waste in Tennessee?
Tennessee’s legal term is “medical wastes.” Since July 15, 2025 it covers liquid or semi-liquid blood and other potentially infectious materials (and items that would release them if compressed, or are caked with them), microbiological wastes containing them, cultures and stocks of infectious agents, pathological wastes removed in surgery or autopsy, discarded sharps, and contaminated research animal carcasses and bedding (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-11-01-.01(2)). Medical wastes are classed as a special waste.
Who regulates medical waste disposal in Tennessee?
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Land Protection, Waste Management Branch — (615) 532-0780 — administers the solid waste rules that cover medical waste. The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission enforces infectious waste standards for licensed hospitals and surgery centers, TOSHA enforces the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, and U.S. DOT rules govern shipping.
How long can a medical practice store medical waste in Tennessee?
Tennessee sets no fixed storage time limit for generators. Licensed hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers must store waste so packaging stays intact and microbial growth and putrefaction are inhibited, protected from animals, weather and direct sunlight, and must promptly treat, dispose of or refrigerate pathological waste (0720-14-.10(6); 0720-20-.10(6)). MedPro sets your pickup schedule around how much you generate so waste doesn’t build up.
Do Tennessee’s packaging rules apply to my practice?
The state’s detailed segregation, packaging and storage rules are in the Health Facilities Commission’s licensing rules, so they bind licensed facilities such as hospitals and ambulatory surgical treatment centers. Physician, dental and veterinary offices aren’t covered by those chapters, but must still meet TOSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard for sharps and regulated-waste containers and labeling, and waste leaving your office must be packaged to U.S. DOT standards (29 CFR 1910.1030; 49 CFR 173.197).
What does Tennessee require of medical waste haulers and treatment facilities?
Tennessee’s solid waste rules have no separate medical waste transporter permit, but any facility that stores, processes (including treats) or disposes of solid waste needs a TDEC permit unless the rules exempt it, and landfills and processing facilities may not accept special waste such as medical waste without written TDEC approval unless their permit allows it (0400-11-01-.01(4), .02(1)(b)). Shipments must meet U.S. DOT hazardous materials rules. Licensed hospitals and surgery centers must also have a written contract for off-site treatment and confirm the receiving site’s approvals.
What records do I need to keep for medical waste in Tennessee?
Tennessee has no state medical waste manifest and sets no record-retention period for generators, so keep the documents you receive with each pickup on file. Licensed hospitals and surgery centers must keep their off-site contract, spill incident reports and any on-site treatment records available for review. Under TOSHA, bloodborne pathogens training records must be kept for three years, and your exposure control plan must document the sharps devices in use and, within six days, the device involved in any exposure incident (29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(2); 0800-01-10-.04).
Where in Tennessee does MedPro Disposal provide service?
Everywhere in Tennessee — we serve healthcare facilities statewide, not just the big metro areas. We also have local service pages for Chattanooga, Clarksville, Franklin, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro and Nashville.
How much does medical waste disposal cost in Tennessee?
It depends on how much waste you generate and how often it’s picked up — we charge only for the services you need. MedPro quotes in Tennessee have projected annual savings from $98 for an orthopedics practice to $7,020 for a funeral home. Request a free, no-obligation quote for your facility.
Our services in Tennessee
Industries we serve
Sources
- Chapter 0400-11-01 — Solid Waste Processing and Disposal (incl. .01 definitions and special waste approval, .02 permitting, .04(2)(k) waste restrictions) — Tennessee Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Tennessee
- Chapters 0720-14 (Hospitals) and 0720-20 (Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers), Rule .10 Infectious Waste and Hazardous Waste — Tennessee Secretary of State, Rules of the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission
- Chapter 0800-01-10 — Sharps Injury Prevention; Rule 0800-01-01-.06 — Tennessee Secretary of State, Rules of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development
- Tennessee Medical Waste — Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Waste Management Branch — Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Special Waste Approval — Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
- Tennessee Health Facilities Commission — State of Tennessee
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 — U.S. OSHA
- Tennessee State Plan — U.S. OSHA
- Infectious substances, 49 CFR 173.134 — eCFR
- Regulated medical waste, 49 CFR 173.197 — eCFR
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