Michigan Medical Waste Requirements
A look at Michigan medical waste requirements.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Waste and Hazardous Materials Division oversees medical waste treatment and disposal in the mid-western state.
Most state medical waste requirements usually detail and outline definitions of what constitutes infectious waste, pathological waste, and so on.
According to Michigan’s Public Act and Rules Governing Disposal of Medical Waste, medical waste consists of:
- Cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals, including laboratory waste, biological production wastes, discarded live and attenuated vaccines, culture dishes, and related devices. It also includes liquid human and animal waste, including blood and blood products and body fluids. The only exceptions are urine or materials stained with blood or body fluids. Sharps, pathological waste, and contaminated wastes are also medical waste.
- Cultures and stocks of material contaminated with an infectious material must be stored in closed, puncture-resistant containers, and treated by autoclaving or incineration, followed by disposal in a sanitary landfill.
Many facilities incinerate or autoclave on site, however in Michigan, if there is no on-site treatment available, medical waste generators must package, contain, and locate medical waste in a manner that protects and prevents the medical waste from being released before disposal. Medical waste must also be properly segregated and labeled. Sharps must go into sharps containers, red bag waste into approved red bags, and biohazard symbols must be affixed to containers.
Medical waste generators must register with the state department and have a written medical waste management plan within 90 days after registration. Medical waste plans must include any and all information relating to the handling of all medical waste generated, stored, decontaminated, or incinerated at each producing facility. This also includes medical waste that must be transported from the generating facility for handling by another facility for storage, decontamination, incineration, or for disposal in a sanitary landfill, cemetery, or other disposal site.
Michigan’s extensive requirements cover so much more related to medical waste in its 16-page document, and it’s up to generators to know all of the regulations for safe, effective medical waste disposal.
Learn how other states handle medical waste requirements.
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- The Four Types of Medical Waste
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- Top 5 Medical Waste Violations: Is Your Facility Guilty?
- Choosing the Right Sharps Containers for Your Facility
Service Areas: Long Island Medical Waste; New York City Medical Waste; Westchester Medical Waste and more!