§ 56

(a) The General Assembly finds: (1) that potentially infectious medical waste, if not handled properly, may constitute an environmental or public health problem. (2) that potentially infectious medical waste, if not handled properly, may present a health risk to handlers of the waste at the facility where the waste is generated, during transportation of the waste, and at the facility receiving the waste. (b) It is the purpose of this Title to reduce the potential environmental and public health risks associated with potentially infectious medical waste by establishing statutory and regulatory requirements to ensure that such waste will be handled in a safe and responsible manner. (c) Potentially infectious medical waste is not a hazardous waste, except for those potentially infectious medical wastes identified by characteristics or listing as hazardous under Section 3001 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, P.L. 94-580, or pursuant to Board regulations. Potentially infectious medical waste characterized or listed as hazardous shall be subject to the appropriate hazardous waste regulations. Potentially infectious medical waste packages that contain both waste characterized or listed as hazardous and waste characterized as nonhazardous shall be subject to the hazardous waste regulations.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 90-773, eff. 8-14-98.)