Medical waste rules in Massachusetts
Massachusetts regulates medical or biological waste through the Department of Public Health under 105 CMR 480.000, Chapter VIII of the State Sanitary Code, with local boards of health inspecting generators and permitting haulers under M.G.L. c. 111, ยง 31A. A generator of less than 50 pounds every 30 days is a small-scale generator with a few extra options; everyone keeps the same record-keeping log.
- Containers (105 CMR 480.100(A), (D)): everything except sharps goes in a red, fluorescent orange or orange-red plastic bag meeting ASTM D1922 and D1709, marked with the universal biohazard symbol and the word Biohazard and secured against leakage. Sharps are segregated immediately after use into red or orange leakproof, rigid, puncture-resistant, shatterproof containers meeting ASTM F2132, marked the same way.
- Storage areas (105 CMR 480.100(B), (C)): an uncarpeted room or area with impervious, cleanable flooring used only for waste storage, with signage, protection from unauthorised access, the elements and vermin, space to keep regulated waste apart from other waste, and no putrescence or off-site odour, using refrigeration when necessary. There is no day limit, but all waste must be treated on site or shipped for treatment at least once every calendar year (480.100(G)).
- Off-site shipment (105 CMR 480.300): untreated waste leaving the premises goes in a rigid, leak-resistant, moisture-impervious secondary container sealed for transport, with a hauler permitted by the local board of health and packaged to US DOT rules (49 CFR Parts 171 to 180). A small-scale generator may carry its own waste within the Commonwealth, up to 50 pounds every 30 days, to an affiliated generator.
- Shipping papers and tracking (105 CMR 480.400, 480.425): a designee signs shipping papers for each untreated shipment with the generator's details and an emergency contact, a description, the quantity, the container types and the destination. Within 30 days the generator confirms receipt at the treatment facility on a Department-approved medical waste tracking form, reports to the Department if it does not arrive, and keeps papers and tracking forms for 375 days.
- Record-keeping log (105 CMR 480.500): written procedures (including confirmation of OSHA bloodborne pathogens training and a description of every storage area with the time waste is held there), a spill contingency plan, and a numbered Medical/Biological Waste Record-keeping Log recording each shipment's date, container count, waste type, weight or volume, transporter and signature, retained for three years.
- Disposal by category (105 CMR 480.200): free-draining blood may go to the sanitary sewer where the local authority allows; pathological waste is incinerated or interred; sharps are incinerated, or rendered non-infectious and ground before landfill; blood-saturated materials, cultures and laboratory waste are treated on site by an approved method or shipped to an approved facility. Dental amalgam and lead foil mixtures fall under hazardous waste rules instead (480.020).
Source: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 105 CMR 480.000, Minimum Requirements for the Management of Medical or Biological Waste.
Reviewed September 2026.
This summary is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change; we confirm what applies to your facility during onboarding.Regulations by state