# Chapter 9 - Biohazardous Waste Management

9.1 Scope   
While this protocol is included as a part of the Biosafety Manual, it applies to all generator of medical   
waste as defined by the regulation and this protocol at this university. The applicability is defined by the   
Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Rules and Regulations Pertaining to the Management of Medical   
Waste from Generators and Health Care Related Facilities promulgated under the authority of Ark. Code   
Ann. § 20-7-109 and Ark. Code Ann. § § 20-32-101 – 112.   
9.2 Biohazardous Waste Definition   
Medical waste (also known as biohazardous waste or infectious waste) is waste that requires   
inactivation of the biological material in an approved manner prior to final disposal. It includes the   
following:   
 Pathological waste - all human unfixed tissues, organs and anatomical parts, other than intact   
skin, which emanate from surgeries, obstetrical procedures, dental procedures, autopsies and   
laboratories, including embalming waste Such waste shall be exclusive of bulk formaldehyde and   
other preservative agents.   
 Liquid or semi-liquid blood such as human blood, human blood components and/or products   
made from human blood (e.g., serum, plasma) and other potentially infectious materials, to   
include regulated human body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid,   
pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental   
procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids where it is   
difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids, can be discharged into the collection   
system of a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) within the generating facility. Breast milk,   
urine, and feces are not considered medical waste and can also be discharged into the (POTW).   
 Contaminated items to include dressings, bandages, packing, gauze, sponges, wipes, personal   
protective equipment, cotton rolls and balls, etc., which cannot be laundered or disinfected and from which blood, blood components, or regulated body fluids drip freely, or that would release   
blood or regulated body fluids in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed or are caked with   
dried blood or regulated body fluids and all capable of releasing these materials during handling,   
not to include feminine products, enema bags, used condoms, or diapers.   
 Contaminated disposable, single-use gloves such as surgical or examination gloves   
shall not be washed or decontaminated for reuse and are to be handled as a   
contaminated item.   
 Protective coverings such as plastic wrap and aluminum foil used to cover   
equipment and environmental surfaces when removed following their   
contamination are considered a contaminated item.   
 All patient care items from hospital isolation rooms and end-stage renal dialysis   
units, or from patients with communicable diseases, which cannot be laundered   
and which are contaminated with regulated body fluids or blood or potential   
infectious material, must be considered a contaminated item.   
 Biological waste and discarded materials contaminated with blood, excretion,   
exudates, or secretions from isolated animals known, or suspected, to be infected   
with communicable diseases.   
 Microbiological waste which includes, but is not limited to, cells and tissue cultures, culture   
medium or other solutions and stocks of infectious agents, organ cultures, culture dishes,   
devices used to transfer, inoculate and mix cultures, paper and cloth that has come in contact   
with specimens or cultures and discarded live or attenuated vaccines.   
 Contaminated sharps which include, but is not limited to, any contaminated object that can   
penetrate the skin, e.g., hypodermic needles, intravenous tubing with needles attached,   
syringes with attached needles, razor blades used in surgery, scalpel blades, Pasteur pipettes,   
capillary tubes, broken glass from laboratories, and dental wires. Potentially breakable   
container(s) of blood, regulated body fluid, microbiological waste, or infectious material must be   
treated as contaminated sharps when disposed of. Sharps that have been used in human or   
animal patient care, treatment or for other medical procedures are included. Any waste   
produced in the course of physically altering a human being or animal including tattooing, ear   
piercing, or any other process where a foreign object is used to cut or pierce the skin. All waste   
generated in this manner meeting the definition of sharps must be handled accordingly.   
 Veterinary waste to include any and all animal related waste (carcasses, body parts, bulk blood   
and blood products, bedding of animals, etc.) which meets the definition of any of the five   
categories delineated above and has been or is suspected to have been exposed to a zoonotic   
disease or pathogens known to cause human disease, or which has been exposed to human   
pathogens in research or the production of biological, must be handled as medical waste. All   
contaminated sharps and microbiological waste must be handled as medical waste.   
 Trace contaminated chemotherapy waste that can be treated as medical/infectious waste. Bulk   
wastes such as full expired vials of chemotherapy drugs are considered to be chemical waste   
NOT biological waste and should be managed accordingly. Trace contaminated chemotherapy   
waste includes: Masks  
 Empty drug vials  
 Gloves   
 Gowns   
 IV tubing  
 Empty IV bags/bottles and   
 Spill clean-up materials.   
 Spill/clean-up material collected during or resulting from the clean-up of a spill of regulated   
medical waste.   
 Crime scene/accident/trauma clean-up waste generated by individuals or commercial entities   
hired to clean crime scenes or accidents that are saturated with human blood, sharps, or sharp   
objects contaminated with human blood.  
 Recombinant DNA. All contaminated liquid, solid, carcasses, and animal wastes from research   
activities involving RG-2 agents requiring BSL-2 and ABSL-2 containment. All contaminated   
liquid, solid, carcasses, and animal wastes from research activities involving RG-3 agents   
requiring BSL-3 and ABSL-3 containment. NOTE: Although RG1-associated DNA is not included   
in the definition of medical waste; all materials that have been in contact with recombinant   
DNA must be decontaminated prior to disposal in the sewer or trash. These items are not   
subject to the logging requirements described for autoclaves and chemical disinfection but   
they must still be rendered biologically inactive. This includes recombinant plants.   
 Additional wastes may be added at the discretion of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)   
and the EHS director.  
9.3 Responsibilities   
9.3.1 Principal Investigator or Faculty in Charge of Lab   
The principal investigator or faculty in charge of the lab is responsible for:   
 Identifying the biohazardous waste generated by their activity   
 Segregating biohazardous waste into the appropriate waste stream   
 Managing biohazardous waste in accordance with this protocol and   
 Providing appropriate training to personnel under their supervision.   
9.3.2 Biological Safety Officer (BSO)   
The biological safety officer is responsible for:   
 Providing training upon request for management of biohazardous waste and  Inspecting laboratories to ensure compliance with this protocol.   
9.3.3 Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)   
EHS is responsible for:   
 Picking up those biohazardous wastes requiring offsite treatment from laboratories in a timely   
manner   
 Final packaging, manifesting and shipping them for disposal and   
 Recordkeeping for wastes shipped off-site in compliance with ADH regulations.  
9.4 Disinfection   
Arkansas Department of Health requires that any material or surface that comes in contact with an   
infectious substance must be disinfected prior to reuse. Disinfection is accomplished by appropriate use   
of an EPA registered disinfectant used according to the label instructions for the agent being inactivated.   
The most familiar disinfectants that are registered with the EPA are bleach (active ingredient sodium   
hypochlorite) at a concentration of 10% (1 part household bleach mixed with 9 parts water, hitherto   
called 10% bleach), Cavicide, and 70% isopropyl alcohol. However, the disinfectant chosen must be   
effective against the agent that is being inactivated. If assistance is needed with this, contact EHS.   
9.5 Treatment, Storage and Disposal   
Arkansas Department of Health requires that biohazardous (medical) waste be treated by chemical   
disinfection, incineration or steam sterilization before disposal. Arkansas State University requires that   
all biohazardous waste be treated with 10% bleach (liquids only), sterilized by autoclave or packaged for   
offsite contract incineration.  
9.5.1 General Storage and Disposal Methods for Different Types of Waste   
 Disposable sharps are deposited in a sharps container. All disposable sharps waste are treated   
offsite. Re-usable sharps are safely segregated and contained in leak-proof, rigid, punctureresistant containers while awaiting cleaning, decontamination, and sterilization before re-use.  
 Liquid biohazardous waste is chemically treated with bleach and disposed via sanitary sewer or   
autoclaved and disposed via sanitary sewer or contained in a biohazard bottle which is placed in   
a biohazard bin. Biohazard bins are treated offsite by incineration; disposal is by the University’s   
Infectious Waste Contractor.   
 Solid biohazardous waste is either autoclaved in a clear autoclave bag lacking the biohazard   
symbol then disposed of as ordinary trash or placed in a biohazard bin. Biohazard bins are   
treated offsite by incineration; disposal is by the University’s Infectious Waste Contractor. Red   
or orange bags, or bags marked as biohazard cannot be disposed as ordinary trash, regardless of   
whether they were autoclaved.  
 Infectious animal body parts or carcasses are contained in biohazard bags, kept in designated   
freezers or refrigerators until pickup by EHS. They are placed in a biohazard bin before removal   
from the lab. Biohazard bins are treated offsite by incineration; disposal is by the University’s   
Infectious Waste Contractor. 9.5.2 Chemical Treatment Standards   
 Household bleach is 5.5 - 10 % sodium hypochlorite. The appropriate concentration of sodium   
hypochlorite for disinfecting liquid waste, e.g. supernatants from cell culture, is 5000 ppm,   
approximately 0.5%. A 1:10 (v/v) dilution of bleach to liquid biological waste is required.  
 A minimum contact time of sodium hypochlorite with liquid waste is 20 minutes. After 20   
minutes of contact, disinfected liquid waste is poured into the sanitary sewer.   
 Bleach should be stored between 50 and 75°F. Undiluted household bleach has a shelf life of six   
months to one year from the date of manufacture, after which bleach degrades at a rate of 20%   
each year until totally degraded to salt and water (exposure to sunlight or additional heat   
increases the degradation rate substantially).  
 Any dilution of bleach has a shelf life of 5 days.  
9.5.3 Autoclave Standards   
All steam sterilizers must:   
 Use the biological indicator Bacillus stearothermophillus placed at the center of a load   
processed under standard operating conditions to confirm the attainment of adequate   
sterilization conditions. Indicator organisms must be used monthly at a generator facility in each   
steam sterilizer;  
 Record the temperature and time during each complete cycle to ensure the attainment of a   
temperature of 121 degrees Centigrade (250 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or longer (refer   
to Appendix I of the Biosafety Manual for large quantities) at fifteen (15) pounds pressure,   
depending on quantity and density of the load, in order to achieve sterilization of the entire   
load; (Thermometers shall be checked for calibration at least annually.)  
 Have a gauge that indicates the pressure of each cycle.  
 Use heat sensitive tape that is lead-free or other device for each container that is processed to   
indicate that the steam sterilization temperature has been reached. The waste will not be   
considered appropriately treated if the indicator fails.  
 Maintain records of the procedures specified in (b) above for a period of not less than three (3)   
years.  
 Assure that treatment residues are disposed of in accordance with applicable State and Federal   
Requirements.  
9.5.4 Logging   
All wastes that meet the definition of biohazardous waste and are treated chemically or by steam   
sterilization must be logged before disposal. The date and amount of waste treated and disposed must   
be included. A monthly log must be sent to the EHS at the beginning of each month for the previous   
month. A template of the log can be obtained by contacting EHS