As a business managing medical waste in Indianapolis, you must navigate a complex landscape of regulations and best practices. The truth is that proper medical waste disposal is not only a legal requirement but also vital for a safe environment. At Med Monkey, we take this seriously. That’s why we’ve served local facilities through proper disposal and education. Here’s what you need to know about medical waste disposal and how we can help you reduce your medical waste.

What Is Regulated Medical Waste?

How can you tell what’s regulated medical waste? Often referred to as bio-hazardous waste, simply put, it’s waste and reusable materials from medical treatment of humans and animals, including diagnosis, immunization, and biomedical research.

Accepted Waste Disposal Items

When considering what items to include in your medical waste disposal, it’s helpful to have a quick reference. Based on regulations, here’s a list of what you can include in your medical waste containers:

Contaminated gloves, gauze, and bandages
Blood-saturated items
Plastic tubing
Cultures and stocks: This includes microbiological waste from labs or research.
Absorbed blood and bodily fluids: Ensure they are in leak-proof containers.
Sharps in closed, puncture-proof containers
Trace chemotherapy waste

Non-Acceptable Waste Items

Conversely, certain items should never be included in medical waste containers. Avoid mixing non-acceptable waste with regulated medical waste. Here’s a list of unacceptable waste items:

Bulk pharmaceuticals
Compressed gas cylinders
Loose sharps
Hazardous and chemical waste
Radioactive waste
Non-infectious garbage
Batteries, flammable liquids, bulk metals
Non-shreddable items, electronic devices
Epoxy or thermos-active binders

Our Free 3-Step Medical Waste Reduction Program

At Med Monkey, we understand that improper waste disposal can cost your business more than just money. That’s why we’ve developed our Medical Waste Reduction Program to help you streamline your waste management and reduce costs. Here’s how it works:

Step 1

Our professional team will audit your medical waste stream to determine what percentage of your waste is actually non-hazardous. We’ll quantify your potential savings and share those with you. Industry guidelines suggest that only 6-15% of your waste should be deposited into red bag containers.

Step 2

Our team will educate your staff on handling medical waste disposal properly. Most likely, your staff does not realize it can cost 10 times as much to dispose of hazardous waste as it does solid waste. We explain this information and train them on the basics, such as informing them that regulated medical waste, sharps, recyclables, and solid waste have separate containers.

Step 3

We then implement an action plan, which includes written policies and procedures. Along with the action plan, we make sure there are separate containers for the various types of waste streams and that these containers are clearly labeled and accessible. By participating in this program, you can significantly reduce the amount of non-hazardous waste in your medical waste containers, ultimately saving your business money and resources.

Med Monkey has been the trusted local red bag waste service for years, serving Indianapolis hospitals, nursing homes, schools, animal hospitals, and more. For reliable medical waste disposal for your facility, contact us at (317) 855-9248 or request a free quote online today!