§ 1389-DD — Treatment and disposal of regulated medical waste

§ 1389-dd. Treatment and disposal of regulated medical waste. 1.\nTreatment or disposal of regulated medical waste shall be by one of the\nfollowing methods:\n (a) By incineration in a regulated medical waste incineration facility\napproved and under permit pursuant to article nineteen of the\nenvironmental conservation law, which provides complete combustion of\nthe waste to carbonized or mineralized ash. Regulated medical waste so\ncombusted shall be disposable as nonhazardous waste provided it is not\nan otherwise hazardous waste as defined in the regulations promulgated\nunder section 27-0903 of the environmental conservation law.\n (b) By discharge to sewerage system if the waste is liquid or\nsemiliquid, except as specifically prohibited by the commissioner of\nhealth.\n (c) By decontamination by autoclaving, or by other technique approved\nby the department, so as to render the waste noninfectious. Regulated\nmedical waste so treated shall be disposed of as solid waste provided it\ndoes not otherwise meet the definition of hazardous waste as defined in\nthe regulations promulgated under section 27-0903 of the environmental\nconservation law or the regulations promulgated thereunder, and is\naccompanied by a certificate, in a form prescribed by the commissioner,\nwhich evidences such treatment.\n (d) By other method approved by the commissioner.\n 2. Regulated medical waste shall not be disposed of by burial at a\nlandfill disposal facility, unless treated in accordance with\nsubdivision one of this section. All sharps must be rendered\nunrecognizable prior to disposal.\n 3. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of\nenvironmental conservation, shall develop a limited number of\ncooperative pilot projects to promote the safe handling, treatment and\ndisposal of regulated medical waste generated in private residences,\nincluding the establishment of guidelines for safe transport and\nhandling of such waste prior to disposal. Such pilot projects shall be\nlimited to a maximum of four municipalities throughout the state, and\nmay vary in scope from single-facility to multi-facility projects.\nNothing in this subdivision shall be construed as imposing any new\nrequirements on generators of regulated medical waste. The commissioner\nshall give due consideration to the experience of the pilot projects in\ndeveloping rules and regulations authorized in subdivision four of this\nsection. Any moneys allocated by any government or organization to the\ndepartment of health or the department of environmental conservation for\npurposes of establishing such pilot projects are hereby authorized for\nappropriation pursuant to this subdivision.\n 4. Sharps, including needles, syringes and lancets, originating from a\nprivate residence, may be delivered for disposal to a general hospital,\nas defined in subdivision ten of section twenty-eight hundred one of\nthis chapter, or a residential health care facility, as defined in\nsubdivision three of section twenty-eight hundred one of this chapter.\nSharps, including needles, syringes and lancets returned pursuant to\nthis section must be accepted by the hospital or residential health care\nfacility on the condition that the needles, syringes and lancets have\nbeen deposited in an approved puncture proof container by the generator.\nThe hospital or residential health care facility receiving such\ncontained sharps must dispose of sharps in accordance with this section.\nThe commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing\nguidelines for safe transport and handling of such sharps, including the\napproval of puncture proof containers for sharps.\n