Proper Waste Segregation and Disposal in Long-Term Care Facilities

Long-term care facilities produce many kinds of waste during the care and treatment of residents. In these settings, proper waste management is essential to keep people safe, protect the environment, and ensure regulatory compliance. The following sections provide information and guidance for long-term care facilities on how to correctly segregate waste for safe and compliant disposal.

What Types of Waste Are Generated in a Long-Term Care Facility?

Most of the waste generated in a long-term care facility is non-regulated waste, meaning it can likely be discarded with the general trash and refuse. The remaining waste may require specialized collection, treatment, and disposal due to being a regulated waste stream such as sharps, regulated medical waste (RMW), and pharmaceutical waste. As part of the disposal process, staff will likely be required to segregate waste into different containers, so it can be handled and managed appropriately according to its risks and regulations.

How to Segregate Waste in Long-Term Care Facilities

The following are descriptions of waste types that may be generated in long-term care facilities and how to properly dispose of each.

Sharps Waste

Any contaminated item that could puncture the skin should be discarded in a sharps container. Applicable items may include syringes, needles, scalpels, glass vials, and other items contaminated with a pathogen that is capable of cutting or penetrating skin or a packaging material. Designed to prevent punctures, leaks, and overfilling, sharps containers can reduce the chances of needlestick injuries, which can cause exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Facilities may choose to use reusable containers as part of their sharps disposal program. These containers are made of hard plastic that can be cleaned and reused, which ultimately reduces the number of receptacles ending up in landfills.

For facilities that do not generate a large volume of sharps waste, another option is a sharps mail-back program. Stericycle’s SafeDrop^TM Sharps Mail Back Solutions provide a cost-effective, convenient mail-back disposal option for long-term care facilities. Sharps management kits include everything needed to collect sharps and mail them back to Stericycle for treatment and disposal.

Regulated Medical Waste

Regulated medical waste (RMW) generally includes waste known or reasonably expected to contain a pathogen. State agencies may have varying terms for RMW (biohazardous, biomedical, infectious, or something similar) in their regulations and most have requirements pertaining to its collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal. Examples of RMW in long-term care facilities may include personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns, gloves, and face masks used during resident care that have been contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). 

RMW that is not a sharp should be discarded in an RMW container lined with a red medical waste bag. When the bag is full, staff should hand tie and knot the bag to secure it. Overfilling red bags can make them too heavy, which can cause them to rip or break. Wet or leaking containers cannot be transported by a waste hauler.

Pharmaceutical Waste

Pharmaceutical waste may be leftover, unused, or expired medication. The waste can be classified as either hazardous or non-hazardous depending on its chemical properties and associated regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and/or State environmental authorities. Improper drug disposal can result in dangerous chemicals leaching into the surrounding environments and contaminating groundwater, drinking water, and plant life. Pharmaceutical waste should be discarded in the proper container. It should never be discarded in red bags or sharps containers.

For residents who need to dispose of their unused medications, they can participate in a mail-back program. Stericycle offers Seal&Send^TM Consumer Medication Mail Envelopes. These prepaid envelopes allow residents to send up to eight ounces of unused medication to Stericycle for incineration prior to disposal. Long-term care facilities can purchase Seal&Send^TM envelopes and provide them to residents for disposal of their medications.

Non-Medical Waste

Long-term care facilities generate a variety of documents, physical and digital, when providing care or performing administrative tasks that include patient protected health information as well as resident and staff confidential data, that contain names, addresses and phone numbers. Facilities need to protect this data from unauthorized access. Once the information is no longer required, according to your retention policies, it should be securely destroyed in order to protect residents and others from fraud. Stericycle’s Shred-it^®  document and hard drive destruction services provide safe and secure disposal of documents created in long-term care facilities.

Why Is Staff Training on Waste Management So Important?

Staff play a key role in ensuring waste ends up in the right container every time. If employees are not careful about how waste is thrown away, they can inadvertently cause harm to themselves, their residents, and the environment. Conversely, they can increase the cost of waste management as well.

Because of these factors, it is essential for organizations to provide recurring training and education on regulated waste segregation. Not only does this enable a safer and healthier working environment, but several states and regulatory bodies have also defined waste disposal training requirements that organizations must meet to remain in compliance.

Staff training and education should be varied to keep it fresh and compelling and include real-world applications so employees can easily apply what they learn to their day-to-day work. Online education tools can be especially valuable. Modules should be continuously updated, offering the latest information, and allowing staff to complete training at their convenience. Participation can be documented and used to demonstrate compliance.

RMW training should be one element in a comprehensive staff education program. When a long-term care facility provides a multifaceted training program, it can go a long way toward ensuring a safe and secure environment for residents and staff.

How Stericycle Can Help with Your Long-Term Care Facility’s Waste Disposal Needs

Stericycle can partner with your long-term care facility to ensure sound, compliant, and reliable waste management. View our medical waste solutions for more information.