Disposal of medical waste in Northeast Florida

 

The red biohazardous containers and bags seen throughout hospitals and doctors’ offices are used to safely remove sharps, needles, and IV catheters that contain any human blood or bodily fluid. Disposal of medical waste in Northeast Florida Medical waste also includes paper towels, wipes, gloves, syringes without needles, bandages or dressings with small amounts of dry blood or fluid, and any other material from medical care. Syringes with needles or sharp objects that can pierce through a plastic bag require a special storage container for additional protection. Sharps disposal can be a tricky business. One needle stick can take a life, or deliver thousands in fines from the EPA or other government bodies. To make things worse, regulations are always in flux, and they can change drastically across state or even local lines. Healthcare staff should follow best practices for safe sharps handling and disposal. Important rules include handling sharps as little as possible, then immediately discarding them in a puncture-resistant, sealed container. Infectious waste: waste contaminated with blood / blood by-products, cultures and stocks of infectious agents, waste originating from isolation ward patients, discarded diagnostic samples containing blood and body fluids, infected animals originating from laboratories, and contaminated materials (bandages, swabs) and equipment (such as disposable medical instruments).