Medical Waste Disposal in Charleston, SC

Clean Waste Medical coordinates compliant medical waste pickup for healthcare facilities in Charleston, South Carolina: regulated medical waste, sharps, pharmaceutical and specialty streams, on a schedule that matches what you generate.

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Medical waste rules in Charleston, SC

South Carolina's Infectious Waste Management Regulations, R.61-105, are administered by the Department of Environmental Services (SCDES, which took over the program from DHEC in 2024). Every in-state generator registers, the line between small and large quantity generators is 50 pounds in a calendar month, and the storage clock is 14 days unrefrigerated or 30 days cold.

  • Registration (R.61-105 F(1) to (4); SCDES): all in-state generators register on the Department's form with the business, owner, site address, infectious waste coordinator, the categories and estimated annual pounds of waste, the treatment and disposal method and the EIN; each site registers separately, changes are reported within 30 days, and registration is renewed every three years. Small quantity generators (under 50 pounds a month) pay no fee; large quantity generators (50 pounds or more in any month) pay $150 a year and extra-large (1,000 pounds or more) $600, under R.61-30. A registration number is needed before a transporter will take the waste.
  • Small quantity generators (R.61-105 G): sharps, microbiological cultures, products of conception and human blood and blood products are managed under the full rule (packaging, treatment, weight records); other infectious waste may be disposed of as solid waste once packaged to protect waste workers. A small quantity generator may haul its own waste, never more than 50 pounds at a time, in a marked, enclosed vehicle with a manifest. Producing 50 pounds or more in any month means notifying the Department and following the entire regulation; the small designation returns after 12 consecutive months under 50 pounds.
  • Generator duties (R.61-105 F(5), (6)): large quantity generators keep an infection control committee and a written protocol from generation to transport; every generator segregates at the point of generation, packages and labels to Sections I and J, initiates a manifest, stores to Section K, uses only a Department-registered transporter (or the US Postal Service), and records the accurate weight of each shipment within 50 days.
  • Packaging (R.61-105 I): sharps in rigid, leak-resistant, puncture-resistant, tightly secured containers; everything else in rigid or semi-rigid, moisture-impervious, leak-resistant containers with red or orange inner bags, sealed when full or putrescent, never compacted; roll-offs and trailer bodies do not count as containment.
  • Storage (R.61-105 K): storage begins when the container is sealed. On-site storage may not exceed 14 days without refrigeration or 30 days at or below 42°F; once the waste leaves, it must reach a treatment facility within the same 14 or 30 days. Areas are secured, signed with the biohazard symbol, protected from weather and vermin, and outdoor storage is locked.
  • Manifests, transport and records (R.61-105 M, N, AA): every off-site shipment travels with a manifest (DHEC Form 2116 or an approved equivalent) carrying the generator's identification number, container count, weight within 10%, the transporter's registration number and the generator's DOT, hazardous waste and radioactive certifications; the generator keeps a signed copy. Transporters register with the Department before operating. All records and manifest copies are kept in South Carolina for at least two years.

Source: SCDES, R.61-105, Infectious Waste Management Regulations.

Reviewed September 2026.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements change; we confirm what applies to your facility during onboarding.South Carolina overviewAll states

Scheduling options in Charleston

  1. Scheduled route pickupWeekly, every other week, monthly or quarterly, set from what your Charleston facility actually generates and adjusted as volume changes.
  2. On-call pickupFor low-volume sites that fill a container every few months. You call when a container is ready and we schedule the collection.
  3. Multi-location programsOne point of contact for groups with several Charleston area sites, with pickup schedules, billing and documentation organized by location.

Services available in Charleston

  1. Regulated medical waste pickupScheduled or on-call pickup of regulated medical waste, also called biohazard or red bag waste, from healthcare facilities: compliant containers, permitted transport and a manifest for every collection.Red bag, cardboard box
  2. Sharps disposalSharps container supply, exchange and disposal for practices of every size, from a single dental office to a hospital network.Red sharps container
  3. Pharmaceutical waste disposalCompliant collection and disposal of expired, unused and partially used non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, with the right stream for each drug.Blue container
  4. Trace chemo waste disposalYellow-container collection for trace chemotherapy waste from oncology, infusion and specialty practices.Yellow container
  5. RCRA hazardous waste disposalBlack-container programs for RCRA-listed and characteristic hazardous pharmaceutical waste, with generator-status guidance and cradle-to-grave documentation.Black container
  6. Pathological waste disposalDedicated, labeled collection for tissues, organs and surgical specimens from surgery centers, labs, dermatology practices and veterinary clinics.Red bag, pathology label

Facilities we serve in Charleston

All facility types

Charleston service questions

How quickly can service start in Charleston?

After we review your facility details, operations confirms a route and start date before anything is promised. Timing depends on your address, waste streams and containers, so we give you an estimate once we have reviewed them.

Which rules apply to medical waste in Charleston?

South Carolina sets the state requirements for segregation, storage time, transporter permits and treatment; OSHA, DOT and EPA rules apply on top. The South Carolina summary above covers the points that most affect small and mid-size generators, and we confirm what applies to your facility during onboarding.

Do you handle multiple Charleston locations under one account?

Yes. Multi-location groups get one point of contact, with pickup schedules, billing and documentation organized by location.

What documentation do we receive?

A manifest or tracking document for every pickup, plus certificates of treatment where applicable, so your compliance file stays complete.

Medical waste pickup in Charleston, SC

Tell us your address, waste streams and current pickup schedule. We reply with a clear quote.

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