Treating Medical Waste
Requirements for treating medical waste including fees and periodic reporting.
COVID-19 Information and Updates
-
TCEQ Regulatory Guidance: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Notice to pharmacies that provide COVID-19 testing and treat COVID-19 waste on-site:
TCEQ discontinued the COVID-19 enforcement discretion process on April 9, 2021. Read our statement on this decision
COVID-19 medical waste should be handled as regulated medical waste. Pharmacies that treat COVID-19 medical waste on-site must submit a notification to the TCEQ. Untreated medical waste can also be treated on-site by a registered mobile treatment unit owned and operated by a person who is not the generator of the waste.
On-site Treatment
For on-site treatment, refer to the Treating On-site section on our Information for Generators of Medical Waste webpage.
Off-site Treatment
Off-site treatment must be conducted at a facility authorized to accept untreated medical waste.
If you are the owner or operator of medical waste treatment facility, you must be registered. Apply by completing and submitting the following forms, using the instruction on each:
- Application Form (Form TCEQ-20789)
- Core Data Form (Form TCEQ-10400)
- Correspondence Cover Sheet (Form TCEQ-20714)
- Submit Documents Electronically
To streamline incoming document processing and review, please submit applications, reports, and other documents to the Municipal Solid Waste Permits Section electronically by email or via the TCEQ secure FTP site (TCEQ FTPS), in addition to submitting paper copies.
Applicable rules are in Title 30, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 326, Subchapter F .
Medical waste that has been treated at an authorized treatment facility may often be managed as routine municipal solid waste and disposed of in a Type I landfill. See the rules to make sure you meet all the requirements:
- Treatment Requirements Title 30, Texas Administrative Code, Subsection 326.75(r) [30 TAC 326.75(r) ]
- Landfill Types [30 TAC 330.5(a)(1) ]
- Labeling and Other Requirements (30 TAC Subchapter B , 30 TAC 326.75(r)(1)-(5) , and 25 TAC 1.136 .)
Back to topFees
You are required to pay a fee to The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) if your medical waste facility processes (treats and transfers) untreated medical waste for disposal by means other than landfilling (for example, incineration, composting, steam sterilization, and other treatment methods) as specified in 30 TAC 326.87 . If your facility is a medical waste transfer station only, you are not required to pay a fee to TCEQ.
Reports
Quarterly Report
The owner or operator of a medical waste processing facility (excluding "transfer" only) is required to submit the amounts of waste received each quarter as specified in 30 TAC 326.89 .
Find more information on how to submit your quarterly report at the Municipal Solid Waste Quarterly Report Requirements and Disposal Fee (RG-289).
Annual Report
The owner or operator of a medical waste processing facility (including "transfer" only) is required to submit:
- Yearly totals summary for the reporting period as specified in 30 TAC 326.89
- Year-end status of the facility or process
Find details on how to submit your annual report at the Municipal Solid Waste Annual Reporting webpage.
Manifest
A registered medical waste transporter must provide the owner or operator of an authorized medical waste treatment facility a copy of the manifest at the time of unloading of the waste. The manifest must contained the information required in 30 TAC 326.53(b)(8) and (9) and follows the requirements in 30 TAC 326.53(b)(10) . The owner or operator is required to promptly record all manifest and retain it in an operating record see in 30 TAC 326.75(e)(2)(E)
Contact MSW Permits Section
Contact the MSW Permits Section if you have questions about managing medical waste.