Management of Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste
On this page:
- How are pharmaceutical hazardous wastes currently regulated?
- Pharmaceutical hazardous waste resources
How Are Pharmaceutical Hazardous Wastes Currently Regulated?
Until a new rule is finalized and adopted by authorized states, healthcare facilities and other business entities that generate pharmaceutical hazardous waste must manage these wastes in accordance with the hazardous waste generator requirements.
Resources for Managing Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste
Guidance Documents
- Managing Pharmaceutical Waste: A 10-Step Blueprint for Healthcare Facilities in the United States; revised August 2008 (93 pp, 489 K).Exit
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Guidance Memos and Letters
- Scope of Hazardous Waste Listing P046 (Phentermine) (PDF) (2 pp, 211 K)
- Containers that Once Held P-listed Pharmaceutical Waste (PDF) (6 pp, 1.1 MB)
- Unused discarded nicotine patches, gum and lozenges are P075; used discarded nicotine patches are not P075 (PDF) (3 pp, 1.4 MB)
- Residual P- and U-listed pharmaceutical wastes left in used syringes have been used for their intended purpose and are not listed hazardous wastes (PDF) (1 pp, 470 K)
- Scope of Hazardous Waste Listing P042 (Epinephrine) (PDF) (8 pp, 1.2 MB)
- Medicinal nitroglycerine that does not exhibit the reactivity characteristic (D003) is not P081 (PDF) (2 pp, 19 K)
- Chloral hydrate can be U034 (PDF) (11 pp, 56 K)
- Epinephrine residue in a syringe is not P042 (PDF) (1 pg, 30 K)
- Cyclophosphamide monohydrate can be U058 (PDF) (2 pp, 32 K)
Healthcare Environmental Resource Center
Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste Wiki
- The Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste Wiki is a public platform for healthcare professionals to share their expertise regarding whether pharmaceuticals are hazardous waste when discarded.