CHAPTER 6. Medical Waste Haulers [118000. - 118045.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 6.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118000. Section 118000.

(a) Medical waste shall only be transported to a permitted medical waste treatment facility, or to a transfer station or another registered generator for the purpose of consolidation before treatment and disposal. (b) Facilities for the transfer of medical waste shall be annually inspected and issued permits in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to this part. (c) Medical waste transported out of state shall be consigned to a permitted medical waste treatment facility in the receiving state. If there is no permitted medical waste treatment facility in the receiving state or if the medical waste is crossing an international border, the medical waste shall be treated in accordance with Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 118215) prior to being transported out of the state.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118025. Section 118025.

All medical waste shall be hauled by a registered hazardous waste hauler, the United States Postal Service, or by a person with an exception granted pursuant to Section 117946 for small quantity generators or pursuant to Section 117976 for large quantity generators.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118027. Section 118027.

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.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118029. Section 118029.

(a) Haulers of medical waste in California, with the exception of those using a materials of trade exception as specified in Sections 117946 and 117976, and United States Department of Transportation licensed common carriers hauling pharmaceutical waste, shall meet all United States Department of Transportation requirements for transporting medical waste and shall be hazardous waste haulers in California. On or before July 1 of each year, a registered hazardous waste hauler that transports medical waste shall so notify the department, and provide, in a format that conforms to the protocol requirements for submission of data to the department, the following information: (1) Business name, address, and telephone number. (2) Name of owner, operator, and contact person. (3) Hazardous waste transporter registration number. (4) The number of vehicles and trailers transporting medical waste within the state as of that date. (5) Types and quantities of medical waste collected, in pounds. (6) The names of the generators whose waste has been transported by the hauler and the amounts of medical waste transported, by waste type category. (b) Each registered hazardous waste hauler shall provide to the department a list of all medical waste generators serviced by that person during the previous 12 months. That list shall include the business name, business address, mailing address, telephone number, and other information as required by the department to collect annual fees pursuant to Section 117924. The list shall be provided to the department within 10 days of the close of the earliest calendar quarter ending September 30, December 31, March 31, or June 30, or as otherwise required by the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118032. Section 118032.

A pharmaceutical waste generator or parent organization that employs health care professionals who generate pharmaceutical waste is exempt from the requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 118000 if all of the following requirements are met: (a) The generator or parent organization has on file one of the following: (1) If the generator or parent organization is a small quantity generator required to register pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 117925), a medical waste management plan prepared pursuant to Section 117935. (2) If the generator or parent organization is a small quantity generator not required to register pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 117925), the information document maintained pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 117945. (3) If the generator or parent organization is a large quantity generator, a medical waste management plan prepared pursuant to Section 117960. (b) The generator or health care professional who generated the pharmaceutical waste transports the pharmaceutical waste himself or herself, or directs a member of his or her staff to transport the pharmaceutical waste to a parent organization or another health care facility for the purpose of consolidation before treatment and disposal, or contracts with a common carrier to transport the pharmaceutical waste to a permitted medical waste treatment facility or transfer station. (c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), all of the following requirements are met: (1) Prior to shipment of the pharmaceutical waste, the generator notifies the intended destination facility that it is shipping pharmaceutical waste to it and provides a copy of the tracking document, as specified in Section 118040. (2) The generator and the facility receiving the pharmaceutical waste maintain the tracking document, as specified in Section 118040. (3) The facility receiving the pharmaceutical waste notifies the generator of the receipt of the pharmaceutical waste shipment and any discrepancies between the items received and the tracking document, as specified in Section 118040, evidencing diversion of the pharmaceutical waste. (4) The generator notifies the enforcement agency of any discrepancies between the items received and the tracking document, as specified in Section 118040, evidencing diversion of the pharmaceutical waste. (d) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), if a health care professional who generates pharmaceutical waste returns the pharmaceutical waste to the parent organization for the purpose of consolidation before treatment and disposal over a period of time, a single-page form or multiple entry log may be substituted for the tracking document, if the form or log contains all of the following information: (A) The name of the person transporting the pharmaceutical waste. (B) The number of containers of pharmaceutical waste. This clause does not require any generator to maintain a separate pharmaceutical waste container for every patient or to maintain records as to the specified source of the pharmaceutical waste in any container. (C) The date that the pharmaceutical waste was returned. (2) The form or log described in paragraph (1) shall be maintained in the files of the health care professional who generates the pharmaceutical waste and the parent organization or another health care facility that receives the pharmaceutical waste. (3) This subdivision does not prohibit the use of a single document to verify the return of more than one container to a parent organization or another health care facility, provided the form or log meets the requirements specified in paragraphs (1) and (2).

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118033. Section 118033.

The pharmaceutical waste that is separated from medical waste by the generator shall be maintained in a manner to secure the pharmaceutical waste contents from access by unauthorized individuals. Any suspected or confirmed tampering of, unauthorized access to, or loss of this pharmaceutical waste shall be reported to the appropriate state licensing authority.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118035. Section 118035.

For the purpose of transferring medical waste prior to reaching a permitted medical waste treatment facility, medical waste shall not be unloaded, reloaded, or transferred to another vehicle at any location, except at a permitted medical waste transfer station or in the case of a vehicle breakdown or other emergency.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118040. Section 118040.

(a) Except with regard to sharps waste consolidated by a home-generated sharps consolidation point approved pursuant to Section 117904, a hazardous waste transporter transporting medical waste shall maintain a completed tracking document in compliance with subdivision (b) for the purpose of tracking the medical waste from the point when the waste leaves the generator facility until it receives final treatment. At the time that the medical waste is received by a hazardous waste transporter, the transporter shall provide the medical waste generator with a copy of the tracking document. The transporter transporting medical waste shall maintain its copy of the tracking document for three years. (b) The tracking document shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following information: (1) The name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the transporter, unless transported pursuant to Section 117946 or 117976. (2) The type of medical waste transported and the quantity or aggregate weight of medical waste transported. (3) The name, address, and telephone number of the generator. (4) The name, address, telephone number, permit number, and the signature of an authorized representative of the permitted facility receiving the medical waste. (5) The date that the medical waste is collected or removed from the generator’s facility, the date that the medical waste is received by the transfer station, the registered large quantity generator, or point of consolidation, if applicable, and the date that the medical waste is received by the treatment facility. (c) A hazardous waste transporter transporting medical waste in a vehicle shall have the tracking document in his or her possession while transporting the medical waste. The tracking document shall be shown upon demand to any enforcement agency personnel or officer of the Department of the California Highway Patrol. If the medical waste is transported by rail, vessel, or air, the railroad corporation, vessel operator, or airline shall enter on the shipping papers any information concerning the medical waste that the enforcement agency may require. (d) A hazardous waste transporter transporting medical waste shall provide the facility receiving the medical waste with the original tracking document. (e) Each hazardous waste transporter and each medical waste treatment facility shall provide tracking data periodically and in a format as determined by the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 118045. Section 118045.

(a) The department shall charge an application fee for a permit for a transfer station equal to one hundred dollars ($100) for each hour which the department spends on processing the application, but not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or as provided in the regulations adopted by the department, not to exceed the reasonable regulatory costs of the department. (b) In addition to the fee specified in subdivision (a), the annual permit fee for a transfer station is two thousand dollars ($2,000), or as provided in the regulations adopted by the department, not to exceed the reasonable regulatory costs of the department.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026