Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC)

Healthcare Environmental Resource Center

HERC provides pollution prevention and environmental compliance assistance information for the healthcare sector. It is intended to be a comprehensive resource, covering all the varieties of hospital wastes, and all the rules that apply to them, including both federal regulations and the specific rules that apply in your state. HERC also includes environmental compliance information for dental offices and assisted living/nursing care communities.

This website was developed and is maintained by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. Funding for this project has been provided by EPA under the National Compliance Assistance Centers program. For more information, or to pass along suggestions, please contact: Lisa Stobierski, Sr. Program Manager.

Disclaimer:
The information contained in this site is provided for your review and convenience. It is not intended to provide legal advice with respect to any federal, state, or local regulation. You should consult with legal counsel and appropriate authorities before interpreting any regulations or undertaking any specific course of action.

Please note that many of the regulatory discussions on HERC refer to federal regulations. In many cases, states or local governments have promulgated relevant rules and standards that are different and/or more stringent than the federal regulations. Therefore, to assure full compliance, you should investigate and comply with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.

Industry News

01/27/2023 - HERC's new Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals guidance document downloaded 8,644 times in Q4CY22 [more]

01/25/2023 - Toward a Net-Zero Health Care System: Actions to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions [more]

01/25/2023 - Used Lithium-Ion Batteries -- Information for Businesses [more]

01/11/2023 - On the Road to Meeting EPA’s Hazardous Waste Regs [more]

What's New on HERC

HERC has posted Federal and State information and guidance on COVID-19 Medical Waste Management. If you have additional information that you would like to share, send it to George Cushnie.

Managing Your Hazardous Waste: A Guide for Small Businesses. This new EPA handbook provides an overview of the federal hazardous waste regulations and helps businesses understand how best to comply with federal hazardous waste management regulations.

EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Open Date: June 13, 2019 – July 31, 201). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its 2019-2020 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Solicitation to develop innovative technologies that protect human health and the environment. EPA is calling for small businesses to apply for Phase I awards up to $100,000 to demonstrate proof of concept in the following topic areas: clean and safe water, air quality, land, homeland security, sustainable materials management and safer chemicals.

Become a HERC Sponsor. The Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC) is seeking private sector sponsors to supplement U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant funding. Sponsorships ($5,000/yr.) will be sought from five sources. Sponsors will be able to provide input to website design, organization and content and will receive full acknowledgment as industry champions through various means including HERC website co-branding, linked banners and other promotional materials. Under this sponsorship program, the current federal grantee, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), will continue to manage and operate the HERC website. More information.

EPA Signs New Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals. Some pharmaceuticals are regulated as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when discarded. This final rule creates a new part 266 subpart P for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals by healthcare facilities and reverse distributors. More information.

Need help in carrying out your waste reduction, mercury elimination, or environmental compliance program? Practice Greenhealth can show you the way.

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The HERCenter has special pages covering your state's rules for the following topics: