There are an estimated 30,000 biomedical waste generators in Florida. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, laboratories, funeral homes, dentists, veterinarians, and physicians. The objective of the biomedical waste program is to protect health care workers, environmental-service staff, waste haulers, and the general public from risks associated with potentially infectious biomedical waste.
The Biomedical Waste program was designed to protect health care workers, environmental service staff, waste haulers, and the general public from risks associated with potentially infectious materials.
The Environmental Health Biomedical Waste program is responsible for inspecting facilities that generate biomedical waste such as used needles, materials soaked in body fluids, or disposable devices that may contain blood. Program staff ensure that infectious waste is handled, stored, transported, and disposed of in accordance with State Laws.
Chapter 64E-16, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), provides guidance to facilities that generate biomedical waste to aid them in ensuring proper management of that waste.