I have a small POL and do throat and urine cultures and would like an easy and inexpensive way to legally dispose of culture plates.

Question:

I have a small POL and do throat and urine cultures and would like an easy and inexpensive way to legally dispose of culture plates. It has been suggested to me that perhaps I can use bleach or an autoclave. What would I need to do and what records would I need to keep?

Answer:

I really don't know of a cheap or inexpensive way to dispose of bio-hazardous waste. Most waste disposal companies will pick up your waste based on the size of the container and not the weight. Locally we have two companies that pick up for 35.00 per container. You can probably get a month's worth of plates in one container based on disposing of 35 plates a day.

Bleaching would not render all organisms as dead. You would need protocols for how long to expose the plates, what concentration of bleach, etc.

Autoclaving would not be practical as the blood agar on the plates would melt at autoclave temperatures.

Medical Waste Disposal companies have strict government controlled licenses and are credentialed to handle this type of waste. If you choose any route but this, you will face extra scrutiny on an inspection.