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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 104Pt. 14Ch. 6§ 118027 Medical Waste Transport Exemption

§ 118027 Medical Waste Transport Exemption

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 118027 Medical Waste Transport Exemption

Key Takeaways

  • •Trash collectors who accidentally pick up medical waste (like used needles or bandages) while doing their normal job won’t get in trouble under the medical waste rules.
  • •If a trash collector realizes they took medical waste to a dump or recycling place, they must tell the person or place that made the waste to come fix it.
  • •The dump or recycling place can choose to handle the medical waste themselves, but they have to tell the person who made the waste first.
  • •The person or place that made the medical waste has to pay for the costs to clean it up properly.

Example

A trash collector picks up garbage from a doctor’s office but doesn’t know there’s a bag of used syringes mixed in. They take it to the local dump.

The trash collector won’t get in trouble for accidentally taking the syringes, but they have to tell the doctor’s office to come take care of it. The dump can decide to handle the syringes themselves, but the doctor’s office has to pay for the cleanup.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 118027 Medical Waste Transport Exemption

A person who is authorized to collect solid waste, as defined in Section 40191 of the Public Resources Code, who unknowingly transports medical waste to a solid waste facility, as defined in Section 40194 of the Public Resources Code, incidental to the collection of solid waste, is exempt from the provisions of the Medical Waste Management Act with regard to that waste. If a solid waste transporter discovers that he or she has hauled untreated medical waste to a landfill or materials recovery facility, he or she shall contact the originating generator of the medical waste to respond to the landfill or recovery facility to provide ultimate proper disposal of the medical waste. The solid waste facility operator may, at its discretion and after contacting the generator, make arrangements for the proper treatment and disposal of the medical waste at a facility approved by the department. Title to the waste remains with the generator. Reimbursement costs for the proper management of discovered waste shall be the originating generator’s responsibility. (Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 564, Sec. 59. (AB 333) Effective January 1, 2015.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

solid wastemedical wasteMedical Waste Management Actgeneratorproper disposal

Related Statutes

  • § 118000 Medical Waste Transport Rules
  • § 118025 Medical Waste Hauling Rules
  • § 118033 Pharmaceutical Waste Security Reporting
  • § 118035 Medical Waste Transfer Rules
  • § 117695 Treated Medical Waste Status

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 118027.
View Official Source