Disposal procedures for biological or medical waste depend on the classification and type of waste generated. Biohazardous wastes include solids, liquid, sharps, outdated pharmaceuticals, pathological, and contaminated glass waste. Request a Hazardous Waste Pickup: RSS or EHS Assistant.
What is Biomedical Waste?
Biological waste is waste contaminated with potentially infectious agents or other materials deemed a danger to public health or the environment. They can include:
- petri dishes
- culture tubes
- syringes
- needles
- blood vials
- absorbent material
- personal protective equipment (PPE)
View the links below for a detailed definition of medical waste:
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH)’s Medical Waste Management Act
- CDPH Health & Safety Code (Coming soon)
Segregation and Storage
Keep the following waste types properly segregated until pick-up by USC’s Hazmat team to avoid area contamination.
- Dry Biohazardous Waste – Dispose the following materials in a red biohazard bag placed in a bin or container with biohazard labels on each of three sides and the top of it:
- Contaminated cultures, petri dishes, and culture flasks
- Plastic pipet tips
- Wastes from infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, or live or attenuated vaccine
- Waste contaminated with excretion or secretion from infectious humans or animals
- Paper Towels, KimWipes, bench papers contaminated biohazardous materials
- Sharps – Dispose the following materials in a sharps container:
- Hypodermic needles
- Pasteur pipettes
- Blades, microscopic slides, dental wires
- Any contaminated material which can puncture or penetrate the skin or a red bag
- Intact or broken contaminated glass waste
- Liquid Waste – Dispose the following materials through the conventional sanitary sewage system if the materials are inactivated for 30 minutes with a freshly made 10:1 dilution of normal household bleach. Follow with plenty of water.
- Human or animal blood
- Human or macaque body fluids, or semi-liquid materials
- Pathological Waste – The following materials should be disposed of immediately after they are generated. Contact the Hazardous Material Division for a white pathological waste container and to make pick-up arrangements.
- Organs, tissues, body parts, and fluids which have been removed by trauma, surgery, or medical procedures.
- Human or animal tissues injected with a human pathogen or are potentially infectious.
- Animal carcasses are to be treated according the USC Vivarium policies. Currently, animals injected with:
- Infectious disease agents, or viral vectors must be placed in a red biohazard bag then placed in the biohazard bucket within the freezer.
- High hazard chemicals or toxins can be placed in a labeled Ziploc bag and placed into a chemical hazard bucket in the freezer.
- Conventional mice untreated with hazardous substances must be placed in a paper bag and stored in the vivarium freezer.
- Outdated Pharmaceuticals – Used or expired pharmaceuticals are placed into specific HDPE containers supplied by USC’s Hazmat Division.
- Chemotherapy – yellow body, white top
- Pharmaceuticals (general, non-RCRA) – white body, blue top
- Pharmaceuticals (RCRA) – black body, white top