Director of Hazardous Waste Solutions

by Joe Jordanpublished October 24, 2014

Hazardous Waste in Healthcare, Part 1: DEFINING HAZARDOUS WASTE

Last updated on October 30, 2019

One of the biggest challenges for today’s healthcare workers is defining the different categories of waste streams they manage on a daily basis. Even the names can be confusing. There’s hazardous, biohazardous, RCRA, universal, pharmaceutical, regulated medical, red bag, pathological, chemo, infectious, isolation, and the list goes on. Perhaps the most confusing and dangerous wastes facilities deal with is hazardous waste. Hazardous waste in healthcare is much more complicated than biohazardous waste and more often than not, improperly recognized and categorized by healthcare professionals. So, what is hazardous waste?

Read More

by Joe Jordanpublished August 14, 2014

When Lighting Goes Dark — Fluorescent Bulb Recycling

Last updated on January 21, 2021

Eventually those long fluorescent light bulbs that have been flickering in the ceiling for months will burn out, and when they do, don’t throw them into the dumpster or dispose of them as hazardous waste. Instead, recycle them as Universal Waste. Fluorescent bulbs, including compact florescent lamps (CFLs) or u-shaped lamps and other high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, contain the hazardous material mercury and thus are regulated by the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) under the Universal Waste Rule. The EPA created the Universal Waste Rule for certain wastes that are generated in a wide variety of settings including homes and businesses, and are able to have their hazardous components removed for the purpose of recycling. The Universal Waste Rule encourages proper disposal and limits the burdens of storage, handling, treatment, and recordkeeping associated with other types of hazardous waste.