1 / 14

Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) Project Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Waste

Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) Project Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Waste. Fawzi Awad Ramsey County Environmental Health 651-773-4459 Fawzi.awad@co,ramsey.mn.us. The SWMCB Mission.

nigel
Download Presentation

Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) Project Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Waste

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) Project Healthcare Facilities and Hazardous Waste Fawzi Awad Ramsey County Environmental Health 651-773-4459 Fawzi.awad@co,ramsey.mn.us

  2. The SWMCB Mission The mission of the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB), which serves the metropolitan counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington, is to increase the efficiency and environmental effectiveness of the region’s solid waste management system.

  3. How Regulation Happens • The counties in the SWMCB region are the regulatory agencies. • The SWMCB provides a forum for counties to work together to achieve a consistent regulatory approach.

  4. Phases of the Project • Phase I: Reach consensus among SWMCB metropolitan counties and state regulatory agencies • Phase II: Develop a strategy for working with healthcare facilities and other stakeholders to achieve compliance. • Phase III: Develop and implement training and workshops.

  5. What’s the Problem? • US Hospitals and Health Care Facilities generate an estimated 2.7 million tons of waste / year • Regulations for disposing of hospital waste are confusing • Recent EPA crackdown on non-complying hospitals NEW YORK (11/26/03)The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking $64,349 in penalties from the owner and operator of Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, N.J. The EPA cited parent company Atlantic Health System Inc. for violating numerous hazardous waste management requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

  6. Type of Waste from Healthcare Facilities: • Solid Waste • Infectious Waste • Radioactive Waste • Hazardous Waste

  7. Hazardous Waste Chemo Waste, Solvents, Lab Waste, Others Common Hazardous Wastes Disposal Practices Disposed of as Infectious Waste Trace Chemo Waste (-) Disposed of as Hazardous Waste Bulk Chemo Waste (+) Recycled in house Xylene, Formaldehyde (+) Discharged into Sewer most of lab waste (-)

  8. SWMCB Approach • Get agencies to agree on standards and approach • SWMCB Counties • Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) • MN Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) • MN Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) • Work with industry to inform and educate; also to collaborate on solutions • Provide support to industry to come into compliance

  9. Project Accomplishments • Unified approach to standards and enforcement on hazardous waste • Fact sheets clarified requirements • August 2003 deadline for chemo waste compliance • July 2005 deadline for full hazardous waste compliance • Tools Developed for Other Wastes • Fact Sheets, Assessment Tool, web site references • Training Delivered

  10. Training Program • Collaboration with Industry: Hospitals Hosted Training • United Hospital – 11/28 • Fairview Ridges Hospital – 11/29 • North Memorial Hospital – 11/31 • Strong Response: 161 attendees • Cost Effective Effort: SWMCB budgeted $15,000; after Donations and Registration Fees, cost to SWMCB = $3,500

  11. Compliance Steps Report Phase I wastes on annual report Report Phase II wastes on annual report Training Full compliance October 2003 January 2004 January 2005 July 2005

  12. Volume of Hazardous Waste Generated in 2005

  13. Thank You!!

More Related