Medical waste includes sharps, used medical supplies, items contaminated with human blood, research samples with human blood or unfixed tissues, biohazardous and pathology waste.
Medical Waste at SF State
Under the California Medical Waste Management Act, SFSU is a Large Quantity Generator (LQG) generating ≥ 200 pounds of medical waste per month and is required to implement procedures for handling, storing, treating, transporting, and disposing of medical waste.
SFSU generates medical waste from the following locations or groups:
- Mashouf Wellness Center
- Student Health Services,
- College of Health & Social Sciences
- College of Science & Engineering
- Sharps disposal boxes stationed in certain areas
Related Notes
Used syringes and sharps from locked sharps waste disposal boxes around campus are periodically collected by EH&S and disposed of at Student Health Services.
BSL-2 and Risk Level 2 biological materials generated in laboratories at SF State are considered "biohazardous" and so meet the definition of "medical waste" in California.
The California Medical Waste Management Act (CMWM) authorizes local public health departments (SFDPH) to grant permits, collect fees, and inspect from facilities that generate medical waste to determine whether those facilities store, treat and dispose of those wastes in a manner that complies with the medical waste requirements of state law.