Biological Waste & Sharps

• To allow for sufficient steam access to or penetration of the waste, the waste shall be packaged according to the recommendations provided by the manufacturer AND loaded into the chamber so as not to exceed the capacity limits set by the manufacturer.
• When subjecting waste to steam under pressure, the temperature in the chamber of the autoclave must reach at least 121°C and there must be at least 15 pounds per square inch (psi) gauge pressure for at least 30 minutes.
• The autoclave must be operated according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Detailed autoclave guidelines are provided here.

Incineration

Medical waste can be collected and incinerated by an external vendor.

Chemical Disinfection

• Solid waste must be immersed for not less than thirty minutes in freshly prepared 20% household bleach, and it must be thoroughly drained before disposal.
• Liquid waste may be diluted with household bleach to a 20% concentration, and it must be held for 30 minutes before disposal.
• Alternatively, you may use a chemical agent that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture as a disinfectant and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Solid medical waste which has been treated by chemical or steam disinfection as described above can be discarded in the regular trash as long as the following procedures are followed:

1. Place a label on the original bag or container stating that the solid waste has been treated.   Autoclave labels are available in your autoclave binder or can be requested from EHS.
2. Place the bag or other container into another bag or container that is a different color and is opaque, e.g., a black trash bag.

Liquid waste that has been treated by chemical or steam disinfection as described above can be disposed of through the sanitary sewer.

Microbiological waste includes:

• discarded cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals;
• discarded cultures of specimens from medical, pathological, pharmaceutical, research, clinical, commercial, and industrial laboratories;
• discarded, used disposable culture dishes; and
• discarded, used disposable devices used to transfer, inoculate or mix cultures.

 Microbiological waste which can be treated and discarded in accordance with any of the methods described above.

Preserved Animal Waste

Carcasses and body parts of animals that HAVE been preserved must be double bagged to prevent leakage, and can be disposed of through EHS as chemical waste. Submit a Hazardous Waste Collection Request when the waste is ready for pick-up and be sure to include the identity of the preservative used.

Fresh (Not Preserved) Animal Waste

Carcasses, body parts, and other animal waste that has NOT been preserved must be double bagged to prevent leakage and kept refrigerated or frozen until transferred to the Laboratory Animal Resources Center.  From there, the waste will be picked up and incinerated by a waste vendor. Wastes from animals that have been exposed to pathogens may need to be autoclaved prior to transport to the LARC, depending on the established protocol.

Human pathological waste includes laboratory specimens of blood and tissue after completion of laboratory examination and disposable items contaminated with human blood or body fluids.
Pathological waste may be Steam (Autoclave) Sterilized and discarded or collected for incineration.  Place the waste into a biohazard bag (these bags are available at EHS) and submit a Hazardous Waste Collection Request when the waste is ready for pick-up, if applicable.

Contaminated sharps can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• hypodermic needles;
• hypodermic syringes with attached needles;
• scalpel blades;
• razor blades, disposable razors, and disposable scissors used in surgery or other medical procedures;
• glass Pasteur pipettes;
• broken glassware;
• specimen tubes;
• blood culture bottles; and
• microscope slides.

Contaminated is defined as the presence or the reasonably anticipated presence of blood, body fluids, or other infectious materials.

Contaminated sharps must be placed into sharps container. Currently, these containers must be purchased by the laboratory generating the waste.  To avoid accidental sticks, place needles directly into containers and do not recap, bend, break, clip, or remove needles from disposable syringes.  Keep contents of sharps containers as free of chemicals as possible.  Close and seal the lid of the sharps container when it is ¾ full.

Contaminated sharps may be Steam (Autoclave) Sterilized and discarded or collected for incineration. Submit a Hazardous Waste Collection Request when the waste is ready for pick-up, if applicable.

Note: Some sharps will not be considered contaminated, such as needles used to transfer chemicals or razor blades used to open containers.  These sharps, while not considered biohazardous, can still cause injuries and should not be discarded in the trash.  They should instead by collected in a hard-walled container.  When the container is full, it should be thoroughly sealed and discarded in the trash.