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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hazardous Waste? Medical waste including sharps and chemotherapy waste is hazardous waste. It must be disposed of in a red bag lined biohazardous waste box. Be aware that sharps need to be disposed of into a disposable or reusable sharps container first, and chemotherapy waste has to be disposed of in a chemo container before placing into a biohazardous waste box. How can we distinguish between Hazardous Waste and NON-Hazardous Waste? From the hazardous point of view, the waste can be basically categorized as: I. Hazardous Waste, II. Non-Hazardous Waste and III. Recyclable Waste. The following is the details:

I. Hazardous Waste - Sharps, Chemotherapy Waste and Medical Waste
Blades Pasteur Pipettes Needles Syringes Contaminated Glass Chemotherapy Waste Containers Sharps Containers	Blood Bags Tubing Chest Tube Drainage System Gauze or Dressings (Dripping with Blood) Gloves, Gown, Masks (Dripping with Blood) Wound Drainage System (hemovac, J.P.'s)		Hemodialysis Tubings Suction Canisters Petri Dishes Broken Glass (in a Box) Tissue Culture Flasks Any Item Wetted with Biological Material or Stained with Blood
Warning !     BL2+ and BL3 Waste Must Be Sterilized Before Disposal.   NO Chemical Bottles !!
Medical Waste			Chemo Waste	Sharps
Red Bag Lined BioHazardous Waste Boxes1		Reusable Medical Waste Container2,3	Chemo Waste Container	Disposable Sharps Container4
Comments:
When a red bag lined biohazardous box is full, it must be sealed and labeled with the date and the location where the box generated To Prepare an Empty Reusable Medical Waste Container: Set up a clean medical waste container in the upright position on the container dolly. Place 1 large medical waste bag in the container. To Prepare a Full Reusable Medical Waste Container for Pick-Up/Transport: Put on gloves, apron and face shied. Tie the bag tightly inside the container (do not remove the bag from container.) Place the cover on the container and snap in place. Transport container to the designated pick-up area. Remove your protective equipment and disinfect your hands with CalStat. When a disposable sharps container is full, it must be sealed and placed into a red bag lined biohazardous box.

II. Non-Hazardous Waste - Regular Trash
	Packing materials Clean Plastics Styrofoam Food Uncontaminated: Absorbent Pads Paper Towels, Tissues Pipette Tips and Tip Containers Weigh Boats Centrifuge Tubes	Disposable Gloves Bedpans, Urinals, Emesis Basins Chux, Diapers ET Tubes and Suction Cathetersial Foley Catheters and Bags (Empty) Guiac Cards IV Lines and Bags (Empty) Medication Vials (Non-Chemo) Ventilator Tubing Gauze & Dressings (No Blood/Not Blood Stained)
III. Recyclable Waste
	White Paper Colored Paper Newspaper Magazines Periodicals Computer Print Paper Corrugated Cardboard	#1-9 Food/Beverage Container #1-7 Medical/Laboratory Plastics Printer Cartridges Old Computers Electronics Batteries Fluorescent Lights
Questions and Answers From MGH Raising Environmental Awareness League (REAL)
Can I recycle plastics and other containers at MGH? Yes. Plastic containers #1-9 can be placed in green recycling bins. Please do not recycle contaminated items.
	#1-9 Food/Beverage Containers: common items: plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminum cans, sandwich/salad containers, and plastic cups clean and rinsed with minimal food residue NO plastic bags, plastic forks, knives, or spoons, paper or wax cups, or Styrofoam
	#1-7 Medical/Laboratory Plastics: CLEAN AND RINSED bottles or containers which originally held NON-Hazardous solutions/materials (i.e. saline, media, and alcohol). Remove/deface labeling from bottles once they are clean NO Broken Glass or Sharps (i.e. pipettes, syringes, slides). Place these items in rigid containers as per MGH policy.
How should I recycle paper at MGH? All paper is recyclable. Deposit white and colored paper, magazines, newspapers, etc. into labeled blue and gray bins. If you cannot locate a bin near your work area, call Environmental Services at main campus (x6-2445) or the Navy Yard (x6-5490).You can also request that your department purchases recycled paper (30% or 100%) through their Partners Staples account with only minimal increases in price.
Can I recycle cardboard at MGH? Yes. Cardboard should be broken down and can be placed near trash receptacles.
How can I recycle my printer cartridges? Printer cartridges can be recycled at the mail room if they are put back into an empty cartridge box and sealed shut.
What should I do with old computers, electronics, batteries, and fluorescent lights? Call MGH Environmental Services (x6-2445) for more information about recycling and proper disposal of these items.
How can I reduce waste when eating at hospital cafeterias? Most MGH cafeterias offer a discount to customers who bring their own reusable mugs. Use of reusable dishware is also encouraged.
What can I do to save energy at MGH? Properly log-off private workstations when not in use and computers will automatically go into an energy-saving standby mode after 30 minutes on inactivity. Computers can be re-activated by moving the mouse or pressing a keyboard button. Also please shut off lights when not in use.