Note, this is a rough draft of a waste management plan for a fictional dentist office.
This waste management plan describes the nature and amount of waste generated at LIVERMORE DENTAL and provides estimates of future generation rates. Procedures and systems for collection and storage are described. The plan explains the ultimate disposal location for the waste and how patients, employees, and the public are protected from exposure.
LIVERMORE DENTAL (aka “the practice” and “the business”) is a limited liability company incorporated in the state of State. Owners are Smiley P. Sawbones and Melinda G. Sawbones. The business was founded in 2002 to provide general dentistry services to people in the Anytown area. We have 4 full-time and 4 part-time employees.
Questions or concerns about waste management can be directed to:
Dr. Smiley P. Sawbones
310-555-1212 (office)
310-555-1234 (emergency, 24 hours)
LIVERMORE DENTAL is located at 123 Main St, Anytown, USA. Patients are received at this location and all patient care takes place on the premises. The offices encompass 1400 sq ft, and includes a waiting room, receptionist/billing desk, three patient treatment rooms, a utility room, and an office. All waste produced by LIVERMORE is generated at this location. In recent years the practice has seen approximately 1100 unique patients per year and 2700 office visitors (including patients and others). Many patients come more than once a year.
LIVERMORE is located in City, County, State, and is subject to regulations and laws instituted by the municipal, state, and federal governments. The business discharges sewage to the County Sewage Authority.
Transport and Disposal Contractors
The following contractors transport and dispose of regulated medical waste, as follows:
Complete Med Waste Solutions
3349 Broadway
Centerville, CA 99999
555-222-3333
We contract with them to visit our facility every two weeks and to remove accumulated regulated waste - i.e. all waste that is not municipal solid waste.
We put municipal solid waste into the facility dumpster operated by our landlord, Golding Properties. They take it away. The cost is included in our rent.
LIVERMORE stores a limited amount of chemicals on site to provide dental services:
Nitrous Oxide - N2O - We have a maximum of two bottles of nitrous oxide on site at any time, each with a maximum charge of 5 lb. This gas is used to sedate patients. It is mixed with air and delivered through a gas mask. Patients exhale the gas into the ambient office air where the concentration is so low that others are not affected.
Nitrous oxide bottles are under pressure and hence pose a decompression risk. However, pressurized container technology is established so risk of an accident is low unless the bottles are mishandled. During operation - when gas is being drawn out - the bottles are secured in a seat. In storage they are attached to the wall with a clamp. Nitrous oxide is not flammable.
Because of its psychoactive properties, nitrous oxide may be a theft risk. LIVERMORE locks the doors and windows when no employees are present.
Lidocaine and Septocaine. These topical analgesics are used to induce numbness and dull patient pain during and after dental procedures.These are not controlled drugs. They are not abused and there are few attempts to steal them. They are not hazardous materials under the RCRA standards for hazardous waste: corrosive, flammable, reactive, or toxic when given at recommended doses. We maintain no more than 10 lbs each of lidocaine and septocaine on site at any time.
Systemic analgesics. LIVERMORE maintains ibuprofen, and paracetamol in pill form for patient pain relief. These are over-the-counter medicines.
Fluoride gels and rinses. LIVERMORE keeps flavored toothpaste preparations to apply to patients’ teeth. These preparations contain stannous fluoride as an active ingredient. They are not addictive or psychoactive or hazardous. The risk to people at LIVERMORE is low. Following treatment, patients discharge the fluoride preparations to a sink connected to a drain to the municipal sewage system.
In routine operations LIVERMORE generates:
Municipal solid waste (office trash)
Bodily fluids - mostly saliva and blood
Mercury waste - old fillings
Pathological waste - pulled teeth, gum tissue
No radioactive waste, RCRA hazardous waste (other than mercury waste from old fillings), or animal wastes are produced.
Historical generation rates:
Municipal solid waste - 3500 lb/yr
Bodily fluids - 200 lb/yr (estimate)
Mercury waste - 12 lb/yr
Pathological waste - 60 lb/yr (estimate)
We keep no waste on site that is more than 2 months old.
We have a fire extinguisher in the office and a chemical spill kit for cleanup of materials. The spill kit is a 5-gallon bag kit from Grainer: https://www.grainger.com/category/safety/sorbents-spill-control-spill-containment/sorbents-spill-kits/universal-sorbents-spill-kits/universal-spill-kits?filters=webParentSkuKey&webParentSkuKey=WP12090511
We are a very small business that rarely has more than 12 people in our offices, and we do not deal with large quantities of hazardous materials so there is no special emergency plan for evacuation.
Municipal solid waste and mercury waste are temporarily stored on site before removal for disposal. The mercury waste is kept in a special amalgamator container until our waste disposal service picks it up.
Tracking documents and storage records pertaining to the generation and disposal of medical waste are maintained by the owners of the business.
All tracking documents and treatment records are maintained for at least three years.
Once per year there is an office-wide refresher briefing about safety and security, Employees are reminded of waste management issues.
Smiley Smilerton
Managing Partner, LIVERMORE DENTAL
