Medical Waste Disposal in Memphis, TN

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

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Medical waste rules in Memphis, 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

Scheduling options in Memphis

  1. Scheduled route pickupWeekly, every other week, monthly or quarterly, set from what your Memphis 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 Memphis area sites, with pickup schedules, billing and documentation organized by location.

Services available in Memphis

  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 Memphis

All facility types

Memphis service questions

How quickly can service start in Memphis?

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 Memphis?

Tennessee sets the state requirements for segregation, storage time, transporter permits and treatment; OSHA, DOT and EPA rules apply on top. The Tennessee 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 Memphis 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 Memphis, TN

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

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