Proper management of pharmaceutical waste is essential to your facilities compliance with medical waste regulations. Color coding your medical waste containers is an important aspect of ensuring waste streams are properly segregated for disposal. There are two different colors for pharmaceutical waste: blue and white or black.
Color Codes for Pharmaceutical Waste
The color of the container for pharmaceutical waste disposal differs depending on if the pharmaceutical waste is hazardous or non-hazardous.
Blue and white
Blue and white pharmaceutical waste containers are used to properly store non hazardous pharmaceutical waste. Typically, these have a blue lid and look like the pharmaceutical waste container below.
Non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste might also be referred to as Non-RCRA pharmaceutical waste. About 85% of all pharmaceutical waste is non hazardous and is disposed of using blue and white containers.
Black
Black pharmaceutical waste containers are used for hazardous RCRA pharmaceutical waste. Hazardous pharmaceutical waste involves more precautions and regulations due to the dangers of hazardous waste. Here is a photo of a hazardous container, often used for hazardous pharmaceutical waste.
Benefits of Color Coding Containers
Using color coding for your medical waste containers helps healthcare professionals and waste handlers to easily identify the type of waste they are handling and ensures it is disposed of using the appropriate treatment method.
Especially when dealing with potentially hazardous waste streams like RCRA pharmaceutical waste, you want to reduce the risk of injury and cross contamination with a clear indicator of the type of waste stored in the container.
Always check with local regulations and guidelines to ensure you are acting in compliance with your medical waste disposal practices, and contact us if you need help with medical waste disposal in California.
