PROCEDURES FOR THE SAFE DISPOSAL

OF BIOHAZARDOUS WASTE

                            
1. Personnel must avoid or minimize contact with infectious biohazard waste.   Protective clothing (gloves, etc.) must be worn when necessary.  "No touch" technique must be used when practical.  Avoid generating aerosols or splattering.  Hands must always be washed after any contact with biohazard waste.
   
2. Red plastic bags must be used for the disposal of all infectious biohazard wastes.  Red bags are not to be used for routine trash.   Red bags are incinerated.  Red bags must be closed securely.  If the outside of a bag is contaminated with the contents, the bag must be places into a second, red plastic bag.
   
3. All sharps waste, such as needles, must be discarded into approved, rigid, impervious, red sharps containers which will render these objects inaccessible.  Containers must be securely closed when three-fourths of the way full.
   
4. Plastic culture dishes may be placed into red biohazard bags, when double bagged, and when dishes are taped securely.
   
5. Liquid waste must be disposed of in red biohazardous waste buckets.   Chemical sterilization can be used where a disinfecting agent is known to be highly effective for inactivating a specific microbe.  These inactivated microbes can then be disposed of via the sanitary sewer.  Clorox, added to equal a final concentration of 10%, for ten to thirty minutes at room temperature is an effective disinfectant.

Human urine and feces may be flushed down a toilet designated for disposal.

Human and animal blood may be disposed of directly into the sanitary sewer if less than 1 ml.  Vials containing greater than 1 ml. of blood must be disposed of into the red biohazard waste buckets.
   
6. Infectious biohazard waste containing virulent pathogens must be autoclaved before being placed into biohazard waste containers for disposal.  See the list of examples required to be autoclaved prior to disposal.  

All red bags, sharps containers and buckets are obtainable from the Central Stockroom.  When the waste is ready to be picked-up, call the Central Stockroom at X8843.  Waste will be scheduled for pick-up in a timely manner.

See procedures on chemical waste disposal.

See procedures on radioactive waste disposal.

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia • 600 South Forty-third Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104-4495 • phone: 215-596-8800 • email: safety@usp.edu