Virginia moves forward with proposed medical waste management enhancements

The Virginia Waste Management Board announced Dec. 9 that is has approved the recommendation of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to amend the regulated medical waste (RMW) management regulations of the state in order to modernize, streamline and enhance the general handling and treatment of RMW in Virginia. According to the board, the proposed changes would create a more cohesive and technically modern regulation to manage various types of medical wastes.

The proposed changes include, but are not limited to:

• Streamlining the permitting structure to include a single permit-by-rule application for all types of permittees
• Clarifying the responsibilities of generators, transporters and permitted treatment facilities
• Requiring best management practices for medical wastes, including highly infectious medical wastes

Many existing provisions remain the same except for revisions to address recodification, clarity, conciseness and efficiency, the board says. In addition to the work completed through the Regulatory Advisory Panel and comments received through the Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA), the board will be seeking public comments on the technical merits, associated costs and potential impacts of the regulatory proposal.

The 60-day public comment period will be announced on the Virginia Town Hall at www.townhall.virginia.gov after completion of the executive review process.