Medical Waste Disposal in Utah
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste, sharps and pharmaceutical waste pickup and disposal for healthcare facilities statewide in Utah — from Logan and Ogden through the Wasatch Front to St. George — on a schedule that keeps you inside state and local storage rules.
How is medical waste disposal regulated in Utah?
Utah regulates medical waste as “infectious waste” under Utah Admin. Code R315-316, adopted under the Solid and Hazardous Waste Act (Utah Code 19-6) and administered by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control. The state rule applies to health facilities that generate more than 200 pounds of infectious waste a month: they must keep a written management plan, package and label waste to the rule, refrigerate it at or below 40°F if it’s stored more than seven days, and never store it more than 60 days. Smaller generators fall outside the state rule, but local health departments can be stricter — Salt Lake County’s regulation applies from 25 pounds a month.
- State term
- Infectious waste
- Rules
- Utah Admin. Code R315-316
- Enforced by
- Utah DEQ (DWMRC)
- Onsite storage
- 7 days unrefrigerated, 60 max
Key takeaways
- Utah regulates medical waste as “infectious waste” under Utah Admin. Code R315-316, administered by the Utah DEQ Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control.
- Utah’s infectious waste rule (R315-316) applies to health facilities that generate more than 200 pounds of infectious waste per month; facilities at or under 200 pounds a month and household waste are outside the state rule.
- Under R315-316-3, Utah infectious waste stored longer than seven days must be kept at or below 40°F, and no infectious waste may be stored longer than 60 days.
- Local health departments in Utah can set stricter infectious waste rules; Salt Lake County’s Health Regulation #1 applies to generators of 25 pounds a month or more and requires a county permit for haulers of 50 pounds a month or more.
- Utah’s OSHA State Plan, run by Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH), covers both private employers and state and local government workers.
Utah Medical Waste Rules
Medical waste is regulated mainly by each state, with a few federal rules on top. In Utah it’s governed by Utah Admin. Code R315-316, Infectious Waste Requirements, adopted under the Solid and Hazardous Waste Act, Utah Code Title 19, Chapter 6. The state rule is short and applies only above 200 pounds a month, so local health department rules matter in Utah — and the federal OSHA and DOT rules apply to everyone. Here’s what they require of a practice, clinic or other healthcare facility.
What Utah regulates
Infectious Waste
A solid waste that contains or may reasonably be expected to contain pathogens of sufficient virulence and quantity that exposure to the waste by a susceptible host could result in an infectious disease (Utah Code 19-6-102(12)). The rule regulates it at “health facilities”, a statutory list that includes hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, hospices, nursing facilities, dialysis centers, physician and dentist offices, veterinary clinics and mortuaries. R315-316 itself doesn’t list categories; the categories below come from DEQ’s Infectious Waste Management Guidance, which isn’t a rule. DEQ suggests handling as infectious any material saturated with blood or body fluids so that it would release liquid when squeezed; diapers and items with fully absorbed or dried blood need not be. Household waste is excluded.
- Blood, body fluids and body parts (human or animal), and items saturated with them
- Waste from patients or animals isolated for highly communicable diseases
- Pathological waste and anatomical parts (not corpses or parts intended for interment)
- Cultures and stocks of infectious agents
- Sharps (needles, syringes, blades, pipettes, broken glass, blood vials)
- Animal carcasses, body parts or bedding exposed to pathogens in research or to zoonotic or highly contagious diseases
Who regulates medical waste in Utah
Utah DEQ — Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control
Administers Utah’s solid waste rules, including the infectious waste requirements in R315-316. Its director approves alternative treatment methods and permits the facilities that treat, store or dispose of infectious waste.
Multi Agency State Office Building, 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Official websiteSalt Lake County Health Department — Environmental Health
Regulates infectious medical waste in Salt Lake County under Health Regulation #1, including generators of 25 lb or more a month, and permits and inspects infectious medical waste haulers. Other Utah local health departments may have their own rules.
Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH)
Utah’s OSHA State Plan, part of the Utah Labor Commission. Enforces workplace safety standards, including bloodborne pathogens protections, for private employers and state and local government workers.
160 East 300 South, 3rd Floor, P.O. Box 146650, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6650
Official website
Key Utah requirements
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who the state rule covers | R315-316 applies to health facilities that generate more than 200 pounds of infectious waste a month, transporters carrying more than 200 pounds in a load, facilities storing more than 200 pounds, and all treatment and disposal facilities. It doesn’t apply to health facilities generating 200 pounds or less a month, or to household waste — but local health department rules can still apply. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-1 |
| Management plan | Every regulated health facility and transporter must prepare and keep on file a management plan identifying the type and estimated quantity of infectious waste, segregation, packaging and labeling procedures, collection, storage and transport procedures, the treatment or disposal method, and the person responsible for managing the waste. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-2(1) |
| Packaging and labeling | Infectious waste must be kept separate from other waste. Except for sharps, it goes in securely tied plastic bags or sealed rigid containers; sharps go in leak-proof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers taped closed or tightly lidded. Containers should be red or orange and must carry the international biohazard sign and “INFECTIOUS WASTE”, “BIOMEDICAL WASTE” or “BIOHAZARD”. Anything placed in a container with infectious waste is managed as infectious waste. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-3(2)–(6) |
| Storage | Storage areas must protect the waste from the elements, be ventilated to the outside, be accessible only to authorized persons and carry the biohazard sign and “CAUTION — INFECTIOUS WASTE STORAGE AREA — UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT”, readable from 25 feet. Infectious waste stored longer than seven days must be kept at or below 40°F (5°C), and no infectious waste may be stored longer than 60 days. These limits apply to waste regulated by R315-316. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-3(8)–(10) |
| Transport | Infectious waste can’t share a vehicle with other waste unless it’s in a separate, fully enclosed leak-proof container. Vehicles must be leak-free, meet DOT warning requirements and carry a spill containment and cleanup kit, and workers must be trained in protective equipment and spill cleanup. Utah has no state infectious waste manifest or hauler permit; in Salt Lake County, haulers of 50 lb or more a month need a county Infectious Medical Waste Hauler Permit. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-4; SLCo Health Reg. #1, §§ 2.62, 4.2.1, 4.2.13 |
| Treatment and disposal | Infectious waste must be treated or disposed as soon as possible at a facility permitted or approved for it — by a permitted incinerator, steam sterilization (6-log kill of B. stearothermophilus spores, at least 250°F and 15 psi), or another method the director approves. Liquids may go to a secondary sewage treatment system with the operator’s approval, and the rule also allows disposal in a permitted Class I, II or V landfill under special handling. Recognizable human anatomical remains must be incinerated or interred. | Utah Admin. Code R315-316-2(2), R315-316-5 |
| Salt Lake County generators | In Salt Lake County, any business generating 25 lb or more of infectious medical waste a month must keep a written plan for employees (waste types, treatment, storage and disposal procedures, exposure response and safety procedures), review it annually, and use red or labeled 3-mil bags and rigid, tight-lidded sharps containers. Infectious medical waste can’t be compacted or sent down trash chutes. | SLCo Health Reg. #1, §§ 2.61, 4.3.1, 4.3.3 |
- Utah Code 19-6, Part 1
Solid and Hazardous Waste Act
Defines infectious waste and health facility (§ 19-6-102) and authorizes the Waste Management and Radiation Control Board to make solid waste rules (§ 19-6-105), under which R315-316 is adopted.
- Utah Admin. Code R315-316
Infectious Waste Requirements
Applicability thresholds, management plans, containment, labeling and storage limits, transport standards, and approved treatment and disposal methods.
- Salt Lake County Health Regulation #1
Solid Waste Management and Permitting
Salt Lake County’s infectious medical waste definitions, generator plan, packaging and labeling rules, hauler permits and vehicle standards, and treatment and disposal methods (§§ 2.60–2.62, 4.2, 4.3).
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). Training records are kept for three years. Utah’s State Plan (UOSH) enforces these protections for private employers and state and local government workers. | 29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iii), (g)(1), (h)(2) |
| 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. The person who offers the shipment keeps a copy of the shipping paper for two years. | 49 CFR 173.134, 173.197, 172.201(e) |
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.
Utah infectious waste compliance checklist
Use this to check your facility against Utah’s infectious waste rule (Utah Admin. Code R315-316), your local health department’s rules and the OSHA standard. MedPro handles the pickup, transport and treatment — the rest happens in your facility.
Get Compliant Pickup- 1
You know which rules apply to you
The state rule applies above 200 lb of infectious waste a month. Below that, check your local health department — Salt Lake County’s rule starts at 25 lb a month.
- 2
You have a written infectious waste management plan
Waste types and estimated amounts, segregation, packaging and labeling, collection, storage and transport, treatment or disposal method, and the person responsible. In Salt Lake County, review it every year.
- 3
Infectious waste is kept separate from other waste
In its own tied bags or sealed rigid containers. If other waste goes in the same container, the whole container is treated as infectious waste.
- 4
Sharps go in rigid, puncture-resistant containers
Leak-proof, rigid and puncture-resistant, taped closed or tightly lidded so nothing can fall out.
- 5
Containers are colored and labeled
Red or orange, with the international biohazard symbol and “INFECTIOUS WASTE”, “BIOMEDICAL WASTE” or “BIOHAZARD”.
- 6
Your storage area is secured and signed
Protected from the elements, vented to the outside, open only to authorized people, and signed “CAUTION — INFECTIOUS WASTE STORAGE AREA — UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT” with the biohazard symbol, readable from 25 feet.
- 7
Nothing sits past Utah’s limits
Refrigerate at or below 40°F if waste will be held more than seven days, and never store it more than 60 days.
- 8
Shipping papers and training records are kept
Utah has no state manifest rule. Keep DOT shipping papers for two years and OSHA bloodborne pathogens training records for three years.
Utah Medical Waste Savings
Projected annual savings from quotes we’ve prepared for Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Podiatry | 84341 | $1,800 |
| Dermatology | 84057 | $816 |
| Fire Department | 84067 | $5,400 |
| Manufacturing Company | 84104 | $454 |
| Pain Management | 84770 | $11,160 |
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 Utah
MedPro Disposal provides regulated medical waste pickup and disposal to healthcare facilities in every part of Utah — wherever your practice is. Local service pages include:
Near the state line? We serve the neighboring states too.
Utah Medical Waste FAQs
What counts as medical waste in Utah?
Utah calls it infectious waste: solid waste that contains or may reasonably be expected to contain pathogens of sufficient virulence and quantity that exposure could cause an infectious disease (Utah Code 19-6-102(12)). DEQ’s guidance treats blood and body fluids and items saturated with them, isolation waste, pathological waste, cultures and stocks, sharps and exposed animal waste as infectious, but not diapers or items with fully absorbed or dried blood. Household waste is excluded.
Who regulates medical waste disposal in Utah?
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control administers the state rule, Utah Admin. Code R315-316. Local health departments can have their own, stricter rules — Salt Lake County’s Health Department regulates generators and permits infectious waste haulers. Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH) enforces bloodborne pathogens protections, and U.S. DOT rules govern shipping.
Does Utah’s infectious waste rule apply to small medical offices?
The state rule applies only to health facilities that generate more than 200 pounds of infectious waste a month (R315-316-1). Smaller offices aren’t covered by it, but DEQ notes that local health departments may regulate smaller amounts and that stricter local rules take precedence. In Salt Lake County, the county rule applies from 25 pounds a month (Health Reg. #1, § 2.61.3). The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and DOT shipping rules apply regardless of quantity.
How long can a medical practice store medical waste in Utah?
Under R315-316-3, infectious waste stored longer than seven days must be kept at or below 40°F (5°C), and no infectious waste may be stored longer than 60 days. Those limits apply to waste regulated by the state rule — generators of more than 200 pounds a month. Check your local health department for any limits that apply to smaller generators. MedPro sets your pickup schedule so you stay well inside them.
What does Utah require of medical waste haulers?
Under R315-316-4, transporters carrying more than 200 pounds in a load must keep infectious waste separate from other waste, use leak-free vehicles that meet DOT warning requirements, carry a spill kit and train workers in protective equipment and spill cleanup. Utah has no state hauler permit for infectious waste, but Salt Lake County requires an Infectious Medical Waste Hauler Permit for haulers of 50 pounds or more a month (Health Reg. #1, § 4.2.1).
How long do I need to keep medical waste records in Utah?
Utah’s infectious waste rule has no manifest or record-retention requirement for generators — only a management plan kept on file (R315-316-2). The federal rules still apply: keep a copy of each DOT shipping paper for two years (49 CFR 172.201(e)) and OSHA bloodborne pathogens training records for three years (29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(2)).
Where in Utah does MedPro Disposal provide service?
Everywhere in Utah — we service facilities statewide, from Logan and Ogden through Salt Lake and Utah counties to St. George. We also have local service pages for Ogden, Orem, Provo, Salt Lake City, Sandy, West Jordan and West Valley City.
How much does medical waste disposal cost in Utah?
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 Utah have projected annual savings of $11,160 for a pain management practice, $5,400 for a fire department and $1,800 for a podiatry practice. Request a free, no-obligation quote for your facility.
Our services in Utah
Industries we serve
Sources
- Utah Admin. Code R315-316 — Infectious Waste Requirements — Utah Office of Administrative Rules
- Utah Admin. Code R315-301 — Solid Waste Authorities, Definitions, and General Requirements — Utah Office of Administrative Rules
- Solid and Hazardous Waste Act, Utah Code 19-6, Part 1 — Utah State Legislature
- Utah Code 19-6-102 — Definitions — Utah State Legislature
- Utah Solid Waste Rules — Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Infectious Waste Management Guidance (rev. Feb. 2022) — Utah DEQ, Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control
- Solid Waste Program documents — Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Waste Management and Radiation Control contacts — Utah Department of Environmental Quality
- Health Regulation #1 — Solid Waste Management and Permitting — Salt Lake County Health Department
- Infectious waste — Salt Lake County Health Department
- Waste haulers — Salt Lake County Health Department
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 — U.S. OSHA
- Utah State Plan — U.S. OSHA
- Utah Occupational Safety and Health — Utah Labor Commission
- Infectious substances, 49 CFR 173.134 — eCFR
- Regulated medical waste, 49 CFR 173.197 — eCFR
- Shipping papers — retention, 49 CFR 172.201 — eCFR
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