Specifications include, but are not limited to: A. The Contractor must accept the following categories of medical waste: 1. Laboratory Wastes: cultures and stocks handled under Biosafety Level 1, 2 and 3 conditions (Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Edition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). NOTE that Department staff sterilizes all Biosafety Level 3 materials before removal from the premises. 2. Blood, Blood Products, Body Fluids. 3. Pathological Waste (human or animal body parts, organs, tissues and biopsy specimens). 4. Contaminated Disposal Material, Equipment and Instruments (includes but is not limited to: disposable gloves, gowns, masks, plastic ware). 5. Sharps (needles and syringes, scalpel blades, glass pipettes, slides, glass test tubes, etc.) in approved containers. B. The Contractor must set up a pre-arranged weekly schedule with the Department for the medical waste collection at the designated pick-up point. The collection day must be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Pickups cannot occur on Tuesdays. A copy of the schedule must be provided to the Department Contact. C. The Contractor must notify the Department of any changes in the pickup schedule. 1. For a permanent change in schedule, the Department must be notified at least one (1) week before the change takes effect. 2. For a temporary change in the schedule, the Department must be notified at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the change. D. The Contractor must supply appropriate medical waste containers with lids and biohazard bags and maintain a level supply of waste containers at the Department to replace those collected on a weekly basis. 1. Biohazard containers and bags must be provided by the Contractor to the Department at the designated area at the beginning of the contract. Containers must be no larger than twenty-eight (28) gallons. Containers must have handles or handholds. A minimum of twenty-five (25) medical waste containers (if containers are less than twenty-eight (28) gallon capacity, then an additional equivalent number of containers must be provided) with lids, must be on site at all times for surge purposes. 2. These containers must remain the property of the Contractor, and the Contractor must be solely responsible for the maintenance, cleaning, and decontamination of the containers. 3. The Contractor must assume full custody of the medical waste upon receipt. The Department will not be responsible for, nor have any control of, transportation and disposal means, methods, techniques, procedures, safety precautions or programs in connection with medical waste transport and disposal. The Department will not be responsible for the Contractor's failure to meet the provisions of these medical waste transport and disposal specifications. E. The Contractor must provide a receipt to the Department Shipping and Receiving staff at the time of collection that indicates the date and number of containers picked up.
