EPA Delays Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Rule

On May 9, the EPA issued its “unified agenda,” which included the statuses of all regulations in process.

Previously, the Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Rule was scheduled to be finalized in July 2018. Following the agenda, the latest target for finalization is October 2018.

The rule would work to remedy the compliance difficulties some healthcare facilities have when discarding hazardous waste, including:

1. Under the current hazardous waste regulatory scheme, healthcare workers—whose primary focus is to provide care for patients—are often responsible for the implementation of the regulations.
2. A healthcare facility can have thousands of items in its formulary, making it difficult to determine which ones are hazardous wastes when disposed.
3. Some active pharmaceutical ingredients are listed as acute hazardous wastes, which are stringently regulated even in small amounts.

To facilitate compliance and to respond to these concerns, the EPA is considering a final Hazardous Pharmaceutical Waste Rule to revise the regulations to improve management and disposal of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals.

Visit our website for more information on how Clean Earth can help your business remain compliant with the latest hazardous waste regulations.