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Rules, Policy, & Guides
Dangerous Waste Regulations
Chapter 173-303 WAC is the rule for managing, accumulating, and disposing of dangerous waste, which includes pharmaceutical waste. Most pharmaceutical waste designates as dangerous waste. This chapter includes requirements on container management, labeling, secondary containment, record keeping, training and contingency plans.
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Conditional Exclusion for State-only Pharmaceutical Waste
The Conditional Exclusion allows waste pharmaceuticals that are dangerous waste only because of Washington State’s criteria for toxicity and persistence to be excluded from the rest of the Dangerous Waste Regulations.
The state cannot change federal law, so pharmaceuticals that designate as a hazardous waste under the criteria set in the federal law, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) must still be disposed as dangerous waste.
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Interim Enforcement Policy – Pharmaceutical Waste
The Interim Enforcement Policy for Pharmaceutical Waste was developed to address questions and needs identified by the healthcare industry. Within its enforcement discretion, Ecology will refrain from enforcing portions of the Dangerous Waste Regulations [Chapter 173-303 Washington Administrative Code (WAC)] at facilities meeting the conditions of this policy.
This is not a new rule. This policy provides an option to the existing rules for managing pharmaceutical waste. Any pharmaceutical waste not managed according to this policy is subject to full regulation under the Dangerous Waste Regulations.
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Guide for Dangerous Pharmaceutical Waste Generators in WA: Options for Managing Rx Waste
This guide provides a summary of requirements for managing pharmaceutical waste under:
- The Dangerous Waste Regulations (Regulations).
- The Interim Enforcement Policy for Pharmaceutical Waste (policy).
- The Conditional Exclusion for State-Only Pharmaceutical Waste.
A generator may choose to manage pharmaceutical waste under the Regulations, the policy, or the conditional exclusion.
This guide does not include all applicable dangerous waste requirements. Always refer to the Regulations or the policy for more detail.
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Interim Enforcement Policy – Pharmaceutical Waste Fact Sheet: Profiling and Notification
This fact sheet is a supplement to the Interim Enforcement Policy for Pharmaceutical Waste in Healthcare (Pub # 07-04-024). The purpose of this document is to assist facilities with the profiling process.
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