Biohazardous Waste Management

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) Regulated Medical Waste Management Regulations and university policy establishes the standards pertaining to regulated medical waste management at Virginia Commonwealth University. Material that goes directly to the landfill may not contain pathogens and first must be decontaminated. The DEQ allows for onsite treatment of RMW through autoclave sterilization. If DEQ autoclave procedural requirements are followed, properly treated materials are no longer classified as RMW and may be disposed of as unregulated solid waste. If autoclaving is not utilized then users must follow the RMW procedures outlined below.

Regulated Medical Waste Box Preparation Guide

Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) must be placed in a red biohazard bag, tied or sealed, and then placed in a United States Department of Transportation approved UN-rated corrugated box, supplied by the vendor. The driver will refuse any boxes that are not properly packaged. Due to insurance regulations, vendor drivers are not permitted to prepare or package waste for transport.

Please Note: All other containers will be handled on a case-by-case basis and require pre-approval from the vendor (Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services) prior to being scheduled for pickup. Please call the Curtis Bay customer service team for more information.

Please adhere to the following guidelines to complete environmentally safe waste disposal:

Ensure the regulated medical waste is packaged separately from any chemical, chemotherapeutic and pathological waste.

It is very important that the waste type is indicated on the outside of the box. If assistance is required in determining waste type, please contact Curtis Bay.

Segregate hazardous waste (chemical waste) from medical waste, as this cannot be combined or transported with infectious or chemotherapeutic waste.

Sharp Containers: Needles and sharps must be disposed of within a compliant sharps container. Sharps containers must be securely sealed and placed inside the red bag, then in the box.

Liquids: Please avoid packaging liquids – if necessary, containers with free liquids must be less than 200 ml and secured properly to prevent any leakage. Place inside the red bag, and then in the box.

Packaging: The top and bottom of the box must be sealed with packaging tape only (masking tape & duct tape are not allowed). Do not flap box lids closed. After sealing the box(s), write the dated customer information on the box.

Regulated Medical Waste Pickup

VCU currently has twelve locations throughout both the MCV and MPC campuses that receive routine pickups of regulated medical waste. These locations are visited regularly based on the volume of waste created in these spaces. Speak to your building manager to determine pickup locations in your building.

Eugene P. and Lois E. Trani Center for Life Sciences (1000 W. Cary St.). Pick up is on Wednesday

Engineering East Hall (401 W. Main St). Pick up is on Wednesday

Engineering West Hall (601 W. Main St) Pick up is on Friday

Engineering Research Building (401 W. Main St). Pick up is on Wednesday

Dental Building 1 (521 N. 11th St.). Contact building manager for pick up information.

VCU Health Sciences Research Building and Annex (1112 E. Clay St.). Pick up is on Wednesday.

Robert Blackwell Smith Building (410 N. 12th St.). Pick up is on Wednesday

Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building (1217 E. Marshall St.). Pick up is on Wednesday

Sadie Heath Cabaniss Hall (1100 E. Leigh St.). Contact building manager for pick up information.

Molecular Medicine Research Building (1220 E. Broad St.). Pick up is on Wednesday

Goodwin Research Laboratories (401 College St). Pick up is on Friday

Massey Cancer Center (401 College St). Pick up is on Friday

West Hospital (1200 E. Broad St). Pick up is on Wednesday

BioTech One and BioTech Center (800 E. Leigh St). Contact building manager for pick up information.

Sanger Hall (1101 E. Marshall St.). Pick up is on Friday

Additional Information:

For buildings that do not receive routine pickups, labs may schedule a pickup through Facilities Self Service (FSS) under the problem type "Custodial"; this is also how additional boxes or red bags can be requested.

RMW Autoclaving Procedures

The DEQ allows for onsite treatment of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) through autoclave sterilization. If DEQ autoclave procedural requirements are followed, properly treated materials are no longer classified as RMW and may be disposed of as unregulated solid waste. The DEQ regulations (and university requirements) for onsite treatment of RMW are summarized in the following PDF:

Infectious Waste Management Operating Procedures

Safety & Risk Management

Division of Administration