Medical waste rules in Clarksville, TN
Tennessee regulates non-hazardous medical waste as a special waste under its solid waste rules, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Rule Chapter 0400-11-01, rather than through a dedicated medical waste program. The rules define the waste and restrict how it may be landfilled; they do not register generators, license transporters or set a storage day limit at the generator.
- What counts (Rule 0400-11-01-.01): seven categories of medical waste, including waste from patients isolated for communicable disease, cultures and stocks of infectious agents, waste human blood and blood products, pathological waste from surgery and autopsy, all discarded sharps (hypodermic needles, syringes, Pasteur pipettes, broken glass, scalpel blades), contaminated animal carcasses and contaminated surgical materials from patients with blood-borne disease. Medical waste is listed among the special wastes that are difficult or dangerous to manage.
- Landfill restrictions (Rule 0400-11-01-.04(2)(k)4): sharps must be securely packaged in puncture-proof containers before landfilling; cultures and stocks may not be landfilled until treated (autoclaved or incinerated) to render them non-infectious; human blood, blood products and other body fluids may not be landfilled, apart from lightly contaminated items such as bandages; recognisable human organs and body parts may not be landfilled at all.
- Special waste approval: a permitted landfill may accept special waste only with the Commissioner's approval and the procedures that approval sets out, which is why untreated medical waste in Tennessee goes through a treatment facility or an approved special-waste route rather than the ordinary dumpster. TDEC's Policy and Guidance Manual covers landfill disposal of treated non-hazardous medical waste.
- Storage and packaging: the state rules set no storage day limit for generators. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), the US DOT rules for shipping regulated medical waste (49 CFR Part 173) and the treatment facility's acceptance terms govern containers, labels and how long waste can wait.
- Hazardous pharmaceuticals are a separate stream: chemotherapy agents, nicotine, warfarin and other P- and U-listed drugs are hazardous waste under Rule 0400-12-01, and EPA's Subpart P for healthcare facilities has applied in Tennessee since April 11, 2022. Generating more than one kilogram of P-listed waste in a month makes a facility a large quantity generator.
Source: TDEC, Medical Waste (Rule Chapter 0400-11-01 and hazardous medical waste guidance).
Reviewed September 2026.
General information, not legal advice. Requirements change; we confirm what applies to your facility during onboarding.Tennessee overviewAll states