COVID-19 Medical Waste Management

• Each state has published regulations for the handling and disposal of medical waste. Some states have posted specific COVID-19 guidance. Use our Regulated Medical Waste Tool to check on the rules in your state.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released general guidance on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) which should be reviewed closely and checked regularly. This includes appropriate infection prevention and control practices for the handling and packaging of items contaminated with COVID-19.
• Additional guidance can also be found on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website, COVID-19 overview.
• The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has posted COVID-19 Waste Disposal Guidance.
• The California Department of Public Health has posted general guidance for the management of COVID-19 contaminated medical waste based on federal guidelines and standards.
• Stericycle has posted COVID-19: Regulated Medical Waste and Sharps Packaging Guidance.
• Health Care waste management: Coronavirus update. The latest information and recommendations on how to address waste management in a coronavirus context from Health Care Without Harm experts.
  
• WHO water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management for COVID-19. This Technical Brief supplements existing IPC documents by referring to and summarizing WHO guidance on water, sanitation and health care waste which is relevant for viruses (including coronaviruses).
• Information from CDC on Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators.
• The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has established a web page where we are posting solid waste and recycling guidance relative to COVID 19 issues. MassDEP will continue to update this page as new policies and guidance are developed. This page also includes links to other MassDEP and Massachusetts guidance relative to COVID 19.

If you have additional information that you would like to share, send it to George Cushnie.