Medical waste - Nebraska

The EPA has not had regulatory authority over medical waste since the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988 expired in 1991. Most states have since developed their own programs, resulting in significant differences for each state. A summary of this state’s requirements includes the following.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy regulates infectious waste as a special waste. The waste generator must determine whether waste is infectious. Infectious wastes may not be disposed of at any solid waste disposal area unless such wastes are rendered non-infectious by incineration, autoclaving, or another treatment method. The infectious waste regulations (132 NAC) cover:

• 1.053 Applicability, and
• 13.004 Special waste disposal requirements.

Non-infectious medical wastes must be disposed of in a permitted solid waste disposal area. Medical and veterinary waste transporters may have additional restrictions or disposal requirements specific to the disposal facility. The general solid waste regulations (132 NAC) cover:

• Chapter 2 Permits,
• Chapter 3 Criteria for waste disposal areas and land application units for repeated disposal or treatment of special wastes,
• Chapter 6 Criteria for solid waste processing facilities,
• Chapter 7 Groundwater monitoring and remedial action, and
• Chapter 8 Financial assurance criteria for solid waste management facilities.

Infectious and non-infectious medical wastes aren’t regulated as hazardous wastes unless they’re combined with hazardous wastes.

Related information

• Medical waste RegSense

Citations

• Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 261
• Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 262
• Federal regulation 29 CFR 1910.1030
• Federal Regulation 49 CFR Subchapter C
• Nebraska Administrative Code Title 132