13:1E-48.13. State regulated medical waste management plan

a. The departments shall study the issue of regulated medical waste in the State and prepare a comprehensive State regulated medical waste management plan addressing the immediate, interim, and long-term needs of the State with respect to the disposal of regulated medical waste in a manner that will protect the public health and the environment. The departments, within one year of the effective date of this act, shall transmit to the Governor and the Legislature the comprehensive State regulated medical waste management plan.

b. The comprehensive State regulated medical waste management plan shall include:

(1) an inventory of the number and types of generators of regulated medical waste within the State, and of the composition and quantities of regulated medical waste generated thereby, together with a recommendation with respect to the advisability, practicability and feasibility of exempting certain small quantity generators from the manifest requirements imposed by this act;

(2) a projection of the number and types of generators of regulated medical waste within the State for the next 30 years following enactment of this act, and the composition and quantities of regulated medical waste to be generated thereby;

(3) an evaluation of the impact of out-of-state generators upon the present and future regulated medical waste disposal capacity within the State;

(4) an evaluation, to be undertaken in conjunction with the Board of Public Utilities, of the status of the regulated medical waste collection and disposal industries, and whether they are of sufficient size and competitiveness to meet the needs of the State, and, if not, recommendations of ways to increase the size and competitiveness thereof;

(5) an inventory and appraisal, including the identity, location, and life expectancy, of all existing and approved incineration or non-incineration disposal capacity which is anticipated to be available to each county in this State for its regulated medical waste disposal needs, including all commercial and noncommercial regulated medical waste disposal facilities, and solid waste facilities within the State and in nearby states permitted to accept regulated medical waste for disposal;

(6) an updated projection of the anticipated regulated medical waste disposal capacity shortfall in each county in this State in the next five years from the date of enactment of this act;

(7) a recommendation of the regulated medical waste disposal strategy to be applied in the State, which strategy shall include the maximum practicable use of existing and approved incineration capacity for regulated medical waste, particularly pathology specimens, resource recovery procedures, recycling, and consideration of the establishment of regional regulated medical waste disposal facilities;

(8) recommendations of any statutory and regulatory changes deemed necessary to implement the comprehensive State regulated medical waste management plan and assure utilization of the most sanitary, efficient, and economical methods for the tracking, identification, packaging, storage, control, monitoring, handling, collection, and disposal of regulated medical waste; and

(9) an evaluation of the environmental and public health impacts of all reasonably available regulated medical waste treatment and disposal technologies, and a recommendation concerning the extent to which non-incineration technologies may be utilized as an alternative to incineration technologies.

L. 1989, c. 34, s. 13.