(A) "Infectious waste" or "waste" means:

(1) sharps;

(2) cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals;

(3) human blood and blood products;

(4) pathological waste;

(5) contaminated animal carcasses, body parts, and bedding of animals intentionally exposed to pathogens; and

(6) isolation waste pursuant to the "Guidelines for Isolation Precautions in Hospitals", Centers for Disease Control.

Nothing in this chapter prohibits a generator of infectious wastes from designating and managing wastes in addition to those listed above as infectious wastes.

(B) "Infectious waste management" means the systematic control of the collection, source separation, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of infectious wastes.

(C) "Board" means the South Carolina Board of Health and Environmental Control which is charged with responsibility for implementation of the Infectious Waste Management Act.

(D) "Director" means the director of the department or his authorized agent.

(E) "Containment" means the packaging of infectious waste or the containers in which infectious waste is placed.

(F) "Department" means the Department of Health and Environmental Control, including personnel of the department authorized by the board to act on behalf of the department or board.

(G) "Dispose" means to discharge, deposit, inject, dump, spill, leak, or place any infectious waste into or on any land or water including groundwater so that the substance may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwater.

(H) "Facility" means a location or site within which infectious waste is treated, stored, or disposed of.

(I) "Generator" means the person producing infectious waste except waste produced in a private residence.

(J) "Generator facility" means a facility that treats infectious waste that is owned or operated by a combination or association of generators, a nonprofit professional association representing generators or a nonprofit corporation controlled by generators, nonprofit foundation of hospitals, or nonprofit corporations wholly owned by hospitals, if the waste is generated in this State and treatment is provided on a nonprofit basis.

(K) "Person" means an individual, partnership, co-partnership, cooperative, firm, company, public or private corporation, political subdivision, agency of the State, county, or local government, trust, estate, joint structure company, or any other legal entity or its legal representative, agent, or assigns.

(L) "Storage" means the actual or intended holding of infectious wastes, either on a temporary basis or for a period of time, in the manner as not to constitute disposing of the wastes.

(M) "Transport" means the movement of infectious waste from the generation site to a facility or site for intermediate storage.

(N) "Treatment" means a method, technique, or process designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of infectious waste so as to sufficiently reduce or eliminate the infectious nature of the waste.

(O) "Expand" means an increase in the capacity of the facility or an increase in the quantity of infectious waste received by a facility that exceeds a permit condition.

HISTORY: 1989 Act No. 134, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 1148.