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Officials at the Ramsey-Washington Recycling and Energy Center in Newport say several medical facilities have been improperly disposing of infectious waste, including blood-soaked bandages, vials containing bodily fluids, and even body parts, at their facility, putting the health and safety of waste workers at serious risk. 

 is defined as waste that poses a threat to human health and the environment due to its biological properties.

The Recycling and Energy Center said in a news release that state law prohibits the disposal of infectious waste in municipal waste facilities. Instead, this type of waste must be incinerated at approved locations in accordance with specific guidelines designed to prevent the spread of disease. 

Trista Martinson, the executive director of R&E, said that this is not the first incident of its kind and it tends to occur toward the end of the year. She described it as a systemic issue where enforcement is insufficient. 

“I think it’d be easier to know exactly what’s happening if it was just one facility, but we’re talking about dozens of area clinics and hospitals that have infectious waste that are not using or implementing their infectious waste plans,” Martinson said. “They are all required to have those plans. It is very regulated, but they’re just not following it.” 

When semi-trailer-sized waste arrives at the facility, it is dumped onto the floor so staff can inspect the contents. Even if there is only one or two bags of infectious waste among the items, Martinson said this makes the entire container classified as infectious. Then the area is cordoned off and a specialized organization is called in to clean and process the waste.

Martinson expressed frustration that because all the waste is deemed contaminated, it ultimately ends up in a landfill, contradicting the center’s mission. Another problem: when infectious items such as medical tubing, syringes and needles enter the waste system, they can clog machinery. 

“Then my staff have to go in and clean it out by hand,” Martinson said. “We’re talking about the potential for hepatitis or HIV, or what other blood borne pathogens might be in there that could make them sick, in addition to needles and pokes.” 

Martinson emphasized that this situation is stressful for staff and presents a significant health and safety concern for truck drivers and the community, who may come into contact with this hazardous waste and risk becoming ill. 

The Recycling and Energy Center is working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the health department, waste haulers, and medical clinics believed to be sources of this material to address the situation.

“We take these situations extremely seriously and ask all medical facilities in the state to review their disposal practices for infectious waste,” an MPCA spokesperson wrote in a statement. We remain committed to holding polluters accountable and investigating reports of violations.”

 in St. Paul $100,000 for improperly disposing of infectious waste at a waste-to-energy facility on multiple occasions. Other medical providers have faced fines for similar infractions in the past. 

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Erica Zurek

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Officials at the Ramsey-Washington Recycling and Energy Center in Newport have found that several medical facilities are improperly disposing of infectious waste at their facility, putting the health and safety of waste workers at serious risk.

Used needles rest in a bin at Virginia's first-ever syringe exchange program at the Virginia Department of Health in Wise County Friday, December 7, 2018. Wise County is a sort of "ground zero" for the country's opioid crisis, and our podcast "The Uncertain Hour" has been reporting from there.&nbsp;

Infectious medical waste is showing up at a Minnesota recycling center

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