Compliance with the new EPA Pharmaceutical Rule, “Management Standards of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine,” begins with a two-step process.
Continue reading “Sharps Compliance’s White Paper Explains the EPA’s New Hazardous Waste Pharmaceutical Rule – Is Your Facility Ready?”
Category: Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Articles & Guides
When discussing hazardous waste management and disposal, it’s important to make sure you’re using the term correctly. Regulatory definitions of “hazardous” cover topics like biohazardous waste, hazardous drugs, hazardous waste, and hazardous substances. Once you understand the types of hazardous waste, you’re ready to determine whether your facility is a hazardous waste generator and learn safe ways to handle, store, and dispose of hazardous wastes.
The full history of hazardous waste disposal is relatively recent. Until the 1970’s, we didn’t distinguish between household waste and industrial waste. They were treated the same and dumped into the nearest hole, marsh, waterway, or onto an undesirable piece of land (think Love Canal)! That ended with the passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act in 1976.
Since that time, regulatory compliance has gotten more complex. Regulators and healthcare providers have to handle the disposal of newer, specialized types of waste including chemotherapy waste and other types of hazardous drug waste (including some anti-viral and bioengineered drugs), and hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.
Specific industries face unique challenges in the management of hazardous wastes. As the regulatory environment changes, they must stay up-to-date on safety and disposal requirements:
- Hazardous waste disposal at retail pharmacies – A number of drugs and pharmaceutical formulations meet the definition of hazardous waste when discarded. In some cases, the empty containers that these pharmaceuticals came in may also need to be managed as hazardous waste.
- Hazardous waste pharmaceuticals (HWP) at long term care facilities – A new EPA rule covering management standards for HWP means that hazardous waste generated at long-term care facilities will no longer be considered exempt as household hazardous waste.
- Pharmaceutical management at health care facilities – Improper disposal of pharmaceuticals poses a threat to health and the environment. Sharps Compliance can help facilities manage these unwanted pharmaceuticals safely and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
But consider this: safe hazardous waste disposal isn’t just a healthcare or industrial issue. Ordinary households also generate hazardous waste – yours included! Review our infographic to learn more about 10 common items you should never toss in your trash.
Sharps Compliance is a nationwide provider of regulatory compliant services and has extensive experience helping companies in the healthcare industry. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you with the determination, storage, transportation, and treatment of hazardous waste.
EPA’s New Pharmaceutical Rule – Takes Effect 08/21/19
The EPA’s recently finalized Pharmaceutical Rule is effective on August 21, 2019 – six months after being published in the Federal Register. This final rule, referred to as Subpart P, and titled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P075 Listing for Nicotine,” is a sector-based rule for the healthcare industry. Continue reading “EPA’s New Pharmaceutical Rule – Takes Effect 08/21/19”
P-Listed Hazardous Waste
P-listed waste, or “acutely toxic” waste, is formally defined by the EPA as “pure and commercial grade formulations of certain unused chemicals that are being disposed.” To meet this definition, the unused chemical must be listed under 40 CFR 261.33 and be part of a commercial chemical product, such as a medication.
Continue reading “P-Listed Hazardous Waste”USP <800> Compliant Hazardous Drug Spill Control Kits from Sharps Compliance
Beginning December 1, 2019, compounding pharmacies and other healthcare facilities that handle hazardous drugs (HD) must have USP <800> compliant spill kits on-site. This is an effort to protect workers in the event of accidental spills of HDs. The requirement is part of USP General Chapter 800, which “describes the practice and quality standards for handling hazardous drugs.” Sharps Compliance is introducing the Hazardous Drug Spill Control Kit™ for the safe cleanup and disposal of spilled chemotherapy and other hazardous drugs.
Continue reading “USP <800> Compliant Hazardous Drug Spill Control Kits from Sharps Compliance”EPA’s New Pharmaceutical Rule – Origin and Reason for the Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long-awaited final rule for managing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals generated by healthcare facilities was finalized and published in the Federal Register on February 22, 2019. This rule had its origins in the EPA’s 2008 Universal Waste proposal for pharmaceutical waste – and perhaps even earlier based on comments to the EPA from retailers.
Continue reading “EPA’s New Pharmaceutical Rule – Origin and Reason for the Rule”