Waste: Medical and Pharmaceutical Waste

What is It?  
Why Should Our Community Care?  
What Can We Do?  
Pharmaceutical Waste  
Resources  
 
 What is It?

Medical waste is different from pharmaceutical waste. Medical waste includes all waste materials generated at health care facilities and waste that may be contaminated by blood, body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials. Pharmaceutical waste refers to discarded drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter.
 
 Why Should Our Community Care?

The Rules and Minimum Standards for Hospitals in Idaho prescribe storage, handling, transport, and treatment requirements of medical waste for hospitals. Medical waste generated at clinics or at home is not required to be treated prior to being disposed of.

 
 What Can We Do?
  • Cities and counties may want to assess medical waste disposal for all projects prior to approval.
  • Cities and counties may want to develop and implement best management practices for medical waste. DEQ recommends requiring infectious medical waste from all sources be disinfected, using effective treatments to assure the safety of operators and visitors at solid waste management sites.
  • Owners and operators of solid waste management sites have the ultimate say over what they will and will not accept, including untreated medical waste, as long as it does not conflict with applicable state requirements.
 
 Pharmaceutical Waste

For information on pharmaceutical waste in Idaho, visit DEQ's Pharmaceuticals and the Environment Web page.

 
 Resources

Need a permit?

Have a question?

For more information on pharmaceutical and medical waste, visit DEQ's Pharmaceuticals and the Environment Web page.