Wyoming Medical Waste Requirements
A look at Wyoming medical waste requirements.
The Wyoming Department of Health and Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Solid and Hazardous Waste Division govern the state’s medical waste and disposal regulations, many of which mirror other states. In Wyoming, medical waste refers to any waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals.
Medical waste is defined separately from hazardous waste, whereas many other states interchange the two.
Medical waste in Wyoming refers to cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals, including cultures from medical and pathological laboratories, cultures and stocks of infectious agents from research, and culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate, and mix cultures. It also includes human pathological waste, meaning tissues, organs, and body parts and body fluids that are removed during surgery or autopsy, or other medical procedures.
Medical waste also includes sharps that have been used in animal or human patients or the treatment or in medical, research or industrial laboratories. Unused sharps are also considered medical waste, including discarded sharps, such as hypodermic needles, suture needles, syringes, and scalpel blades.
Beyond its long list of items that are considered medical waste, Wyoming does not have any regulations specified in its governing documents. It only stipulates that medical waste generators treat medical or infectious waste prior to disposal, whether it is through incineration, autoclaving, or other approved methods. Medical waste must be placed in red bags prior to treatment for disposal so that it stands out against other waste and is handled properly by waste haulers.
Despite the lack of published state information, Wyoming is one of 24 states operating an approved occupational safety and health (OSHA) program, which means medical waste generators in the state are bound by the requirements under OSHA, such as the management of sharps, requirements for containers that hold or store medical/infectious waste, labeling of medical/infectious waste bags/containers, and employee training.
Learn how other states handle medical waste requirements.
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