Assisted Living Medical Waste

Independent living and assisted living facilities are not necessarily associated with traditional medical needs, but these communities often provide many of the same services that a hospital would, especially for those who need what is known as home health care.

These communities are not medical models for living care, but some medical services are provided and required by residents for those who cannot get to a healthcare practitioner offsite. These types of services include medical checkups, which may involve blood draws, IV medication administration, dressing changes, and other healthcare-related needs. There is also a variety of other services, including disease management, post-surgical care, and wound care, all of which will undoubtedly result in medical waste.

According to the World Health Organization, the total amount of waste generated by healthcare related services that is general waste is about 80 percent, where as 20 percent is considered hazardous material that could be infectious. The largest source of healthcare-related waste is, of course, hospitals, but assisted living and nursing home facilities are a close second.

Medical waste is not limited to sharps and lancets; regulated medical waste, or RMW, is defined as by the CDC as “waste sufficiently capable of causing infection during handling and disposal.” This also includes blood-soaked dressings, surgical gloves, all of which require proper handling and disposal.

Because healthcare waste contains micro-organisms, which can be harmful to other residents and staff at assisted living facilities, it is imperative to have a assisted living medical waste disposal plan in place. Inadequate training of proper waste management, absence of waste management and disposal systems means everyone is at risk, and the truth of the matter is, the responsibility lies with those who produce the waste.

MedXWaste services the assisted living industry with regulated medical waste and we provide all of the equipment necessary to do it carefully. We offer straight-forward pricing with no hidden fees to help you stay compliant while keeping your staff and residents safe.

Tattoo parlors aren’t likely the first business to come to mind when you think of medical waste disposal, but the truth of the matter is, tattoo shops must follow a stringent set of state and federal laws since the needle they use is going under the skin.

Because tattoo needles come into contact with bodily fluids, they are considered medical waste and therefore cannot just be tossed into a trash receptacle. Customers need to know their tattoo artists are not only clean and safe, but from a financial point of view, tattoo business owners need to think about the bigger picture: it is far more cost-effective to be in compliance then to be on the wrong end of an inspection. What could that sort of publicity mean for a small, locally run tattoo parlor and its reputation, not to mention the health and well-being of the customers and employees?

Tattoo artists deal with sharps, lancet, needles, and syringes generated from their work. Improper handling of medical waste disposal can lead to needle sticks, which can spread disease not only for those using health care products, but for anyone who finds them.

It’s not just tattoo needles that are considered medical waste; cotton swabs, paper towels, unused leftover ointment and face masks all fall under this category. Basically, anything that a tattoo artist is using during just one tattoo session is considered a biohazard and must be dealt with appropriately.

All of the tattoo medical waste must be handled, transported, and disposed of properly, in accordance with State and Federal regulations, to protect the public from dangerous pathogens.

MedXwaste can help tattoo shop owners maintain compliance regulation with our services; we will pick up, transport and dispose of all tattoo equipment and other biowaste in a cost-effective and reliable way. Whether you need monthly or daily medical waste disposal services, our team can help set up a schedule that meets your needs to ensure that your employees, clients, and the environment is safe and protected.