The Department of Toxic and Substance Control recommends that “California non-RCRA hazardous waste be managed separately from RCRA hazardous waste. Only pharmaceutical waste that falls under the Federal Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, as amended (42 USCA Sec. 6901 et seq.) should be disposed of into a hazardous waste container.

This waste includes bulk chemotherapy drugs, P-listed waste (nicotine, Coumadin/warfarin, arsenic trioxide, etc.), U-listed waste (mercury, chloroform, etc.), and characteristic hazardous waste (aerosol propellants, M-Cresol, etc.). All remaining pharmaceutical waste that doesn’t fall under the definition of RCRA waste (i.e. CA non-RCRA) should be disposed of into a pharmaceutical waste container.”

For further information about RCRA Waste, click here

The DEA has its own disposal requirements for pharmaceuticals classified as “controlled substances” and recommends the following process to make controlled substance waste nonretrievable:

• Pills containing a controlled substance are crushed before placing the residue into a pharmaceutical waste container
• Controlled substance that is remaining in a syringe is wasted into a pharmaceutical waste container before disposing of the syringe in a sharps container
• Expired medications should be returned through a reverse distributor.

Under no circumstances should any waste medication – including controlled substance waste – be disposed of down the drain or into solid or biohazardous waste

For the DEA’s controlled substance list, click here

The Department of Toxic and Substance Control defines Hazardous Waste as “waste with a chemical composition or other properties that make it capable of causing illness, death, or some other harm to humans and other life forms when mismanaged or released into the environment.”

In addition, hazardous waste is divided into different classifications, including RCRA hazardous waste and non-RCRA hazardous waste. Properly labeling hazardous waste is necessary as each type has different packaging requirements, transportation, treatment methods, and fees.

To learn more, visit the California Department of Toxic Substances Control website: Click here 

Per the California Department of Public Health, “medical waste generators may be either large quantity generators (LQG = >200 lbs/month), or small quantity generators (SQG = < 200 lbs/month). Medical waste includes, but is not limited to: sharps, biohazardous and pharmaceutical waste.

As a generator of medical waste, you are subject to all of the requirements under Chapter 4 of the Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA), Health and Safety Code (HSC) sections 117915 through 117946 (p.22-28), including an annual generator fee.

For detailed information on requirements Click here 

Per the California Department of Public Health, “medical waste generators may be either large quantity generators (LQG = >200 lbs/month), or small quantity generators (SQG = < 200 lbs/month). Medical waste includes, but is not limited to: sharps, biohazardous and pharmaceutical waste.

As a generator of medical waste, you are subject to all of the requirements under Chapter 4 of the Medical Waste Management Act (MWMA), Health and Safety Code (HSC) sections 117915 through 117946 (p.22-28), including an annual generator fee.

For detailed information on requirements Click here