As a dental professional, you have a lot to worry about. The last thing you want to deal with is fines and regulatory plans of correction regarding your dental waste. The source? You put your trash in the wrong bin. Or didn’t empty the bin fast enough. Or you are not practicing proper dental carpule disposal practices. You get the idea. Between sharps waste, regulated medical waste, dental mercury, pharmaceutical waste, radiological waste, electronics waste, and patient information, it’s a lot to handle.
How to Dispose of Anesthetic Cartridges (Dental Carpules)
One of the most common questions asked today about dental waste is, “Are used dental carpules considered medical waste, pharmaceutical waste, hazardous waste, or trash?
The answer depends on the condition of the used carpule:
1. Carpules Containing Visible Blood or Broken
Treat carpules that contain visible blood or broken as sharps medical waste. Place them in a sharps container.
2. Carpules Containing Residual Anesthetic
Place carpules that contain residual anesthetic in a container labeled as pharmaceutical waste. Transport these containers to a waste processor for incineration. Why not the sharps container? Medical waste is first autoclaved and then disposed of. The pharmaceutical waste does not break down and will mix with the wastewater produced during the autoclave process. This can have a negative environmental impact unless properly destroyed by incineration.
3. Empty Unbroken Carpules
Empty, unbroken carpules that contain no aspirated blood or trace pharmaceuticals are not technically considered medical or pharmaceutical waste, but many offices are more comfortable placing these carpules in a puncture-resistant container for employee and waste-worker safety.
Always check with your local and state regulations regarding pharmaceutical waste and your specific classification as a waste generator, because your state’s generator categories can be different than the federal categories.
HealthFirst has the Right Solutions for Dental Carpule Disposal
No matter the condition of your used carpules, HealthFirst offers the right service to safely contain and transport your sharps medical waste and pharmaceutical waste to the waste processor for proper disposal and destruction.
Treat any carpule that contain visible blood or broken as sharps medical waste. Place these carpules in one of our puncture-resistant sharps containers, provided with every Sharps Management mail-back disposal product.
We recommend placing all other carpules in our puncture-resistant 2 gallon container labelled for pharmaceutical waste. This container is provided with every 2 Gallon Pharmaceutical Waste Management mail-back product. This postage-paid mail-back container will be properly transported to a waste processor for incineration
Have any More Questions About Dental Waste?
Contact a HealthFirst compliance counselor to discuss how our mail-back dental waste disposal products can help your practice stay compliant while saving you money.
