Are medicines really hazardous waste?
Many pharmaceuticals have ingredients with characteristics that cause them to ‘designate’ as hazardous waste when disposed. To designate means to either be a federally regulated (under RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) or state regulated hazardous waste (under the Dangerous Waste Regulations WAC 173-303). Federally regulated hazardous wastes include lists of certain discarded chemical products or manufacturing/industrial processes or wastes with hazardous characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity or toxicity). Washington State has additional criteria for toxicity and persistence that make pharmaceuticals ‘designate.
