Medical Waste Disposal in Wyoming
MedPro Disposal offers limited medical and biohazardous waste pickup in Wyoming — call to check availability at your location. Here’s how Wyoming regulates medical waste, and the federal rules your facility has to follow.
Limited pickup service in Wyoming
We offer limited Wyoming medical and biohazardous waste pickup service. Call (888) 641-6131 to check availability for your location. We also offer compliance training and our sharps and pharmaceutical mail-back program to Wyoming generators.
How is medical waste disposal regulated in Wyoming?
Wyoming has no medical-waste-specific rules: its solid waste rules, adopted under the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act and administered by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), don’t define medical or infectious waste or set generator, storage, hauler or manifest requirements for it. Facilities that transfer, treat, store or dispose of solid waste need a DEQ permit, though a generator’s own medical waste storage or treatment unit may be exempted. In practice the federal rules do the work — Wyoming OSHA enforces bloodborne pathogens protections for private and public employers, and U.S. DOT rules govern packaging and shipping.
- State medical waste rules
- None specific
- Environmental agency
- Wyoming DEQ
- Workplace safety
- Wyoming OSHA (State Plan)
- Shipping
- U.S. DOT, UN3291
Key takeaways
- Wyoming’s solid waste rules don’t define medical or infectious waste and set no medical-waste-specific requirements for generators such as medical and dental offices.
- In Wyoming, any facility that transfers, treats, stores or disposes of solid waste needs a Department of Environmental Quality permit under W.S. 35-11-502.
- Wyoming DEQ may exempt from permitting medical waste storage units, incinerators and autoclaves that handle only a facility’s own medical waste or waste from medical generators in the same county or local area.
- Wyoming OSHA is a State Plan that covers private employers and state and local government workplaces, including bloodborne pathogens protections for healthcare workers.
- Medical waste shipped from a Wyoming facility must meet U.S. DOT rules for regulated medical waste (UN3291, Division 6.2), and the shipper keeps a copy of the shipping paper for two years.
Wyoming Medical Waste Rules
Medical waste is regulated mainly by each state, with a few federal rules on top. Wyoming is one of the states with almost no rules of its own: the Solid Waste Rules adopted under the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act treat medical waste as ordinary solid waste, and the Department of Health’s hospital licensure rule requires an infection control program but sets no waste-specific standards. That leaves the federal OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (enforced by Wyoming OSHA) and U.S. DOT shipping rules as the main requirements for a practice, clinic or other healthcare facility.
What Wyoming regulates
Medical Waste (no state definition)
Wyoming’s statutes and solid waste rules don’t define medical or infectious waste. It falls under the general definition of solid waste — garbage and other discarded solid materials, including waste from industrial, commercial and community activities. The solid waste rules mention medical waste only to exempt certain medical waste storage and treatment units from permitting and to bar medical/infectious waste from low-hazard facility classification. Discarded pharmaceuticals or chemicals that are EPA-listed or characteristic hazardous wastes are regulated separately as hazardous waste. For workplace handling, OSHA’s definition of “regulated waste” applies:
- Liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)
- Contaminated items that would release blood or OPIM in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed
- Items caked with dried blood or OPIM that could release these materials during handling
- Contaminated sharps
- Pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM
Who regulates medical waste in Wyoming
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality — Solid & Hazardous Waste Division
Administers Wyoming’s solid and hazardous waste rules, including permits for facilities that transfer, treat, store or dispose of solid waste. It has no separate medical waste program.
Wyoming OSHA — Department of Workforce Services
Runs Wyoming’s OSHA State Plan, covering private employers and state and local government workplaces, including bloodborne pathogens protections for healthcare workers. Federal OSHA keeps Yellowstone National Park, maritime employment and F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
Key Wyoming requirements
| Topic | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State medical waste rules | Wyoming’s statutes and solid waste rules don’t define medical or infectious waste and set no medical-waste-specific requirements for generators — no registration, management plan, storage time limit, state manifest or treatment standard. Federal OSHA and DOT rules still apply. | W.S. 35-11-103(d); Wyo. Solid Waste Rules chs. 1, 2, 6, 8 |
| Facility permits | No one may locate, construct, operate, modify or close a facility for the transfer, treatment, processing, storage or disposal of solid waste without a DEQ permit. This covers transfer stations, treatment facilities and landfills that handle medical waste. | W.S. 35-11-103(d)(ii), 35-11-502(a) |
| On-site treatment exemption | The DEQ Administrator may exempt from permitting medical waste storage units, incinerators, autoclaves or other treatment devices that store or treat only medical waste generated by the facility’s owner or operator, or by doctors’ offices, clinics, dental offices and other medical waste generators in the same county or local area. | Wyo. Solid Waste Rules ch. 1 § 1(f)(xiv) |
| Accumulation at permitted facilities | A permitted solid waste management facility may not accumulate more waste than it can transfer, treat, process, store or dispose of within 90 days (180 days if the waste must be moved more than 200 miles). This applies to permitted facilities, not to generators. | W.S. 35-11-502(d) |
| Hospitals | Licensed hospitals must run an infection control program based on nationally recognized standards and keep written housekeeping policies. The rule sets no specific medical waste handling or disposal standards. | Wyo. Dept. of Health Rules ch. 12 §§ 24–25 |
| Shipping records | Wyoming has no state medical waste manifest. Under DOT rules, whoever offers regulated medical waste for transport must keep a copy of the shipping paper, or an electronic image of it, for two years after the carrier accepts it. | 49 CFR 172.201(e) |
- W.S. 35-11-101 et seq.
Wyoming Environmental Quality Act
Defines solid waste and solid waste management facilities (§ 35-11-103(d)), requires a permit to locate, construct, operate, modify or close a solid waste management facility (§ 35-11-502) and authorizes the solid waste rules (§ 35-11-503).
- Wyo. Solid Waste Rules ch. 1 (020.0009.1)
Solid Waste Rules — General Provisions
Definitions, permit procedures and exemptions for solid waste management facilities, including the exemption for medical waste storage units, incinerators and autoclaves that handle a facility’s own or local generators’ medical waste (§ 1(f)(xiv)).
- 29 CFR 1910.1030
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
The main enforceable rule for medical waste inside a Wyoming facility: exposure control plans, sharps containers, regulated waste containers and labeling, and training. Enforced by Wyoming OSHA under its State Plan.
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). Wyoming OSHA enforces these protections for private and public employers under its State Plan. | 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. | 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.
Wyoming medical waste compliance checklist
Wyoming has no medical-waste-specific state rules, so this checklist follows the federal OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (enforced by Wyoming OSHA) and U.S. DOT shipping rules. Your licensed hauler handles transport and treatment — the rest happens in your facility.
Check Pickup Availability- 1
You have a written exposure control plan
Required of every employer with occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, reviewed and updated at least once a year.
- 2
Sharps go straight into sharps containers
Closable, puncture-resistant, leakproof on the sides and bottom, labeled or color-coded, kept upright and easily accessible near where sharps are used, and replaced routinely so they don’t overfill.
- 3
Other regulated waste is bagged and labeled
Placed in closable, leak-proof containers or bags labeled with the biohazard symbol (or red), closed before removal so contents can’t spill.
- 4
Staff are trained
Bloodborne pathogens training at hire and at least once a year, with training records kept for three years.
- 5
Waste is packaged to DOT rules before it leaves
Regulated medical waste ships as UN3291, Division 6.2, in rigid packaging meeting Packing Group II, with puncture-resistant containers for sharps.
- 6
You keep your shipping papers
A copy of each shipping paper (or an electronic image) kept for two years after the hauler accepts the waste.
- 7
Your hauler uses a permitted facility
Facilities that transfer, treat, store or dispose of solid waste in Wyoming need a DEQ permit. Ask where your waste is taken and how it’s treated.
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.
Limited service in Wyoming
We offer limited medical waste pickup in Wyoming. Call (888) 641-6131 to check availability for your location. Local service pages include:
Near the state line? We serve the neighboring states too.
Wyoming Medical Waste FAQs
What counts as medical waste in Wyoming?
Wyoming law doesn’t define medical or infectious waste; it’s covered by the general definition of solid waste (W.S. 35-11-103(d)(i)). Inside your facility, OSHA’s definition of regulated waste applies: liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials, items that would release them if compressed or that are caked with them, contaminated sharps, and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM (29 CFR 1910.1030(b)).
Who regulates medical waste disposal in Wyoming?
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Solid & Hazardous Waste Division permits facilities that transfer, treat, store or dispose of solid waste (W.S. 35-11-502), but it has no medical-waste-specific rules. Wyoming OSHA, a State Plan run by the Department of Workforce Services, covers private employers and state and local government workplaces, and U.S. DOT rules govern packaging and shipping.
Do Wyoming medical practices need to register with the state?
Wyoming’s solid waste rules contain no registration, permit or management plan requirement for medical waste generators such as medical and dental offices. A generator that stores or treats medical waste in its own unit — an autoclave or incinerator, for example — may be exempted from facility permitting by the DEQ Administrator (Wyo. Solid Waste Rules ch. 1 § 1(f)(xiv)). OSHA’s written exposure control plan is still required (29 CFR 1910.1030(c)).
How long can a medical practice store medical waste in Wyoming?
Wyoming sets no storage time limit or refrigeration rule for generators. The 90-day accumulation limit in W.S. 35-11-502(d) applies to permitted solid waste management facilities, not to practices. OSHA requires sharps containers to be replaced routinely and not overfilled, and regulated waste containers to be closed before removal (29 CFR 1910.1030(d)(4)(iii)).
What does Wyoming require of medical waste haulers?
Wyoming has no medical-waste-specific hauler permit. Haulers must follow U.S. DOT hazardous materials rules for regulated medical waste — UN3291, Division 6.2, in packaging that meets 49 CFR 173.197 — and any transfer station, treatment facility or landfill in Wyoming that handles the waste needs a DEQ solid waste permit (W.S. 35-11-502).
How long do I need to keep medical waste records in Wyoming?
Wyoming has no state medical waste manifest or record rule. Under DOT rules, keep a copy of each shipping paper for two years after the hauler accepts the waste (49 CFR 172.201(e)). OSHA also requires bloodborne pathogens training records to be kept for three years (29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(2)).
Where in Wyoming does MedPro Disposal provide service?
We offer limited medical and biohazardous waste pickup service in Wyoming. Call 888-641-6131 to check availability for your location — our local service pages cover Casper, Gillette, Laramie, Rock Springs and Sheridan. We also offer compliance training and our sharps and pharmaceutical mail-back program to Wyoming generators.
Our services in Wyoming
Industries we serve
Sources
- Wyoming Statutes Title 35 (W.S. 35-11-103, 35-11-502, 35-11-503) — Wyoming Legislature
- Wyoming Administrative Rules — Wyoming Secretary of State
- Wyo. Solid Waste Rules ch. 1 § 1 — In General — Wyoming DEQ (via Cornell LII)
- Wyo. Solid Waste Rules — Solid Waste Management chapters — Wyoming DEQ (via Cornell LII)
- Solid & Hazardous Waste Division — Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Solid Waste — Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Chapter 12 — Licensure of Hospitals — Wyoming Department of Health
- OSHA — Cheyenne — Wyoming Department of Workforce Services
- Wyoming State Plan — U.S. OSHA
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 — U.S. OSHA
- Shipping papers, 49 CFR 172.201 — eCFR
- Infectious substances, 49 CFR 173.134 — eCFR
- Regulated medical waste, 49 CFR 173.197 — eCFR
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