Clinical laboratories regularly produce hazardous waste, including infectious biohazardous waste and hazardous chemical waste. Hazardous waste is regulated both nationally and locally.
The CDC and DOT have jointly stated there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 specimen laboratory waste needs any additional packaging or disinfection procedures. Therefore, laboratories can safely handle their waste from testing suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient specimens as all other biohazardous waste in the laboratory.
A method for decontaminating all laboratory wastes should be available in the facility, or there should be plans for how laboratory wastes will be stored and handled if it will be transported off-site. All materials that have come in contact with potentially infectious substances should be completely decontaminated or discarded in biohazardous waste as soon as possible to minimize further contamination. Follow routine clinical laboratory practices and procedures for decontamination of work surfaces and management of laboratory waste.
