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Content Verified on: November 10, 2003
Regulatory Environment
Identified Community-based Disposal Initiatives
Disposing of contaminated medical waste, including needles, syringes, and other “sharps,” has become an important issue in public health policy. Waste generated in the health care system is highly regulated at the state and federal level. Hospitals and other health care facilities must follow special procedures for handling, transporting, and disposing of medical waste, including used needles that may contain blood. Facilities also have instituted strict safeguards to protect health care workers, housekeeping staff, sanitation workers, and waste haulers from needlesticks because of the risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B and C, and other bloodborne infections. Less attention has been paid to safe disposal of used syringes that come from individuals living in the community. However, as many as 3 billion syringes are used each year outside health care facilities: It is estimated that between 0.9 and 1.68 billion insulin injections and up to 1 billion illegal drug injections occur each year in the United States. After being used and discarded, most of these syringes end up in the public solid waste system. This presents a risk of needlestick injury and infection, mostly to solid waste workers. A much smaller number are discarded in public areas, such as parks, presenting a risk to the public. This section of CDC’s Community Syringe Disposal, Laws and Regulations, and the Public Health web site looks at the public health dimensions of this problem. It describes this state’s solid and infectious waste laws and regulations as they relate to syringe disposal. It provides background information on several key disposal options currently used in the U.S. and describes the impact of this state’s laws and regulations on the way that individuals may use these options. It also includes brief descriptions of some safe disposal programs in the state and provides contact information for the state’s public health and environmental management agencies. This web site is designed primarily for individuals and communities who are working to build safe syringe disposal programs and improve public understanding of this important issue. We hope that the information and tools provided here will help communities move closer to the ultimate goal of “no syringes discarded in the trash or in public locations such as parks, buildings, or the streets.”
Virginia has no published guidance for individuals on safe disposal of syringes used at home.
1. Waste Management Law Summary Law 2. Regulated Medical Waste Management Regulations (RMWMR) Summary Establishes regulations for managing of medical waste – The regulations establish permit requirements for the storage, treatment and disposal of regulated medical waste (RMW) as well as rules for how it is packaged, labeled, and transported. Establishes regulations for household generated sharps used in the home – Sharps that are used in single- or multiple-family residences must be placed in an opaque container that is highly puncture-resistant and labeled with the words “Do Not Recycle, Medical Waste” before they are mixed with other wastes or disposed. Establishes regulations for health care professionals – Health professionals who deliver care in the private home of a patient are required to package sharps in rigid, highly leak resistant and puncture resistant containers that are properly labeled in accord with the regulations. Before the containers are filled to capacity they must be delivered to a permitted regulated medical waste treatment or storage facility. Law Responsible Agency
Summary Sets requirements for collection sites when employees handle the sharps containers – Operators of sharps container collection sites in which employees physically accept and handle filled sharps containers from customers are required to meet the OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards. This involves developing a written Exposure Control Plan that identifies the frequency of exposure and the tasks and procedures in which exposure may occur. The Plan also must address methods of compliance, hepatitis B vaccination, hazard communication to employees, recordkeeping, and methods to evaluate exposure incidents. Sets requirements for collection sites when employees do not handle the sharps containers – Operators of sharps container collection sites in which customers place filled sharps containers into a collection container are not subject to the bloodborne pathogen standard. In this situation, employees must not handle the sharps containers. Those involved with removing the sharps containers from the collection container must meet the standard. Law Responsible Agency
Effect of Virginia’s Laws and Regulations
on Container Collection Sites Collection site operators may also be subject to meeting bloodborne pathogen standards, depending on how the sharps containers are collected and handled.
Effect of Virginia’s Laws and Regulations
on Container Mailback Programs
Effect of Virginia’s Laws and Regulations
on Disposal in the Trash
The state legislature and individual communities may wish to actively encourage individuals to safely dispose of used syringes and make it easier for them to do so. Many options for state and local action exist. They range from gathering data, to developing community collection site programs and education efforts, to creating partnerships with interested groups, to considering amending laws and regulations. All will help Virginia move toward the goal of “no syringes discarded in the trash or public locations.”
Virginia has established the Safe Sharps Disposal
Program Partners in the Safe Sharps Disposal Program include:
For more information about the Safe Sharps Disposal Program, call: 1-800-603-4068.
Links below will open in a new browser window. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Virginia Department of Labor and Industry Contacts: Jay Withrow, Director, Office of Legal Support Glenn Cox, Director, Safety Compliance, VOSHA
Links below will open in a new browser window. 1. Code
of Virginia, Title 10.1 2. The Virginia Administrative Code, Title 9 [Environment], Agency
20 [Virginia Waste Management Board], Chapter 20 [Regulated
Medical Waste Management Regulations] 3. OSHA
Bloodborne Pathogen Standards 4. USPS
Domestic Mail Manual 5. Turnberg WL, Frost
F.
Survey
of occupational exposure of waste industry workers to infectious waste
in Washington State. Disclaimer The materials provided on this web site are for general information purposes only. They do not constitute legal or policy advice or opinion. Access to these materials, their transmission, or receipt is not privileged and does not create any relationship with the provider. CDC has attempted to make the information in this website accurate. However, CDC makes no guarantees about the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information provided. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for results obtained from the use of the information. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. This CDC Web site is no longer being reviewed or updated and thus is no longer kept current. This site remains to assist researchers or others needing historical content. |
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Privacy Policy | Accessibility
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Virginia's Public Health Laws and Regulations:
Impact on the Safe Disposal of Used Syringes by Individuals in the
Community