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  • Hazardous Waste Generators
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Management of Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

On this page:
  • New Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals
  • Resources

New Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

EPA finalized regulations for the management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals by healthcare facilities and reverse distributors in a rule published in the Federal Register on February 22, 2019. Learn more about the final rule.

Resources for Managing Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals

 

Guidance Documents

  • Managing Pharmaceutical Waste: A 10-Step Blueprint for Healthcare Facilities in the United States; revised August 2008 (93 pp, 489 K).
  • Pretreatment Program Factsheet on Hazardous Waste Reporting Requirements for Industrial Users under 40 CFR 403.12(p)&(j)

Guidance Memos and Letters

  • Applicability of 40 CFR Part 266 Subpart P to Intermediate Care Facilities (PDF)(8 pp, 1.29 MB)
  • Chloral hydrate can be U034 (PDF) (11 pp, 56 K)
  • Containers that Once Held P-listed Pharmaceutical Waste (PDF) (6 pp, 1.1 MB)
  • Cyclophosphamide monohydrate can be U058 (PDF) (2 pp, 32 K)
  • EPA's regulations on reverse distribution and policy on reverse logistics
  •  Manifesting Non-Creditable Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals - New Four Character Code (PDF) (2 pp, 2.09 MB)
  • Medicinal nitroglycerine that does not exhibit the reactivity characteristic (D003) is not P081 (PDF) (2 pp, 19 K)
  • Nicotine as the sole active ingredient of E-liquids (PDF) (4 pp, 698 K)
  • Nicotine-containing products that are legitimately recycled are not solid waste (PDF)(3 pp, 586 K)
  • Scope of Hazardous Waste Listing P042 (Epinephrine) (PDF) (8 pp, 1.2 MB)
  • Scope of Hazardous Waste Listing P046 (Phentermine) (PDF) (2 pp, 211 K)

Healthcare Environmental Resource Center

  • Pollution prevention and compliance assistance information for the healthcare industry 

Household Pharmaceutical Disposal

  • How to Dispose of Medicines Properly (PDF) (2 pp, 194 K)
  • Information on Pharmaceutical Collection and Disposal
  • EPA's Recommendation for Incinerating Pharmaceuticals from Take-Back Events (PDF) (9 pp, 1.5 MB)
  • Management of Household Pharmaceuticals Collected by Law Enforcement During Take-Back Events and Programs
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on July 29, 2021
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