Miami-Dade has one of the highest densities of medical, dental, dermatology and aesthetic practices in the country, alongside the Jackson and Baptist systems and a large base of surgery centers and clinical labs. Florida's Department of Health permits biomedical waste generators annually and inspects them through the county health department; Clean Waste Medical coordinates pickup for Miami-area facilities through Florida-registered transporters.
Areas in the metro
Downtown, Brickell and Coral Gables; Miami Beach and North Miami; Hialeah, Doral and Miami Lakes; Kendall, Homestead and Cutler Bay; north into Aventura, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. Tell us the address and operations confirms the route.
Good to know locally
- A generator producing less than 25 pounds in each 30-day period is exempt from the permit and fee, but still keeps the written operating plan and is inspected at least every three years.
- Storage is limited to 30 days from the first non-sharps item placed in a red bag or sharps container.
- Transporters must be registered with the Department of Health and give the generator a receipt for every pickup.
Medical waste rules in Miami, FL
Florida's Department of Health regulates the packaging, storage, transport and treatment of biomedical waste under Chapter 64E-16, Florida Administrative Code, and issues the generator permit; the Department of Environmental Protection regulates incineration and disposal. County health departments do the inspections.
- Permits (64E-16.011): every biomedical waste facility obtains an annual permit from the Department of Health, except a generator that produces or treats less than 25 pounds in each 30-day period, which is exempt from permit and fee requirements. Exempt facilities are still inspected, at least once every three years (64E-16.010).
- Operating plan and training (64E-16.003): each facility keeps a written operating plan covering segregation, labeling, packaging, storage, transport, treatment, spill decontamination and emergencies, trains new staff before they handle waste, and refreshes training annually. Management records are kept for three years.
- Storage (64E-16.004): no more than 30 days at the generating facility, counted from the moment the first non-sharps item goes into a red bag or sharps container, or from when a sharps-only container is sealed. Indoor storage areas have restricted access and cleanable surfaces; outdoor areas are secured and marked with a six-inch biohazard symbol.
- Packaging and labeling: non-sharps waste is sealed at the point of origin in impermeable red bags (or sharps containers), and every package shows the international biohazard symbol with one of the phrases Biomedical Waste, Biohazardous Waste, Biohazard, Infectious Waste or Infectious Substance.
- Transport (64E-16.006, 64E-16.008, 64E-16.009): generators contract only with transporters registered with the Department; the transporter gives the generator a receipt for each pickup. A generator moving less than 25 pounds of its own waste in its own vehicle on any one occasion is exempt from transporter registration.
- Treatment (64E-16.007): steam, incineration or an approved alternative, within 30 days of collection from the generator.
Source: Florida Department of Health, Chapter 64E-16, Biomedical Waste.
Reviewed September 2026.
General information, not legal advice. Requirements change; we confirm what applies to your facility during onboarding.Florida overviewAll states