DENR-DOH Guidelines on Health Care Waste Mngmt

Provide clear guidelines for health care waste generators, transporters, TSD facility operators.
Clarify roles and responsibilities of DENR and DOH.
Harmonize efforts between DENR and DOH for effective waste management.

Applies to all generators, transporters, owners, and operators of TSD and final disposal facilities for health care wastes.

Health Care Wastes: waste from diagnosis, treatment, immunization, research, biological products, small sources like dental clinics.
Health Care Waste Generators: hospitals, clinics, laboratories, drug manufacturers, mortuary centers, etc.
Health Care Waste Transporters: licensed persons conveying health care waste by air, water, or land.
TSD Facilities: facilities for treatment, storage, disposal governed by DENR AO 2004-36.

DENR-EMB: primary agency for permits, policies, compliance monitoring, technical support, sampling, and notifications.
DOH: licensing and regulation of health facilities, policy formulation, training, technical assistance, equipment evaluation, monitoring, notifications.
DOH-CHD: advocacy, monitoring, assistance in plan preparation, policy dissemination, compliance enforcement.

Health Care Waste Generators: must secure ECC, permits for air and water discharge, hazardous waste registration from DENR; licenses and accreditation from DOH.
Health Care Waste Transporters: register with DENR, secure transport permits, comply with manifest system.
TSD Facilities: secure ECC, notice to proceed, registration, technology approval, P/O, discharge permits, product registration, and technical evaluation certificates.

Must comply with provisions of relevant environmental laws (RA 8749, RA 6969, RA 9003) and DOH Health Care Waste Manual.

Technologies include thermal, chemical, irradiation, biological, encapsulation, inertization.
Autoclave, microwave, hydroclave must use microbiological tests to verify efficacy.
Microbial inactivation level of 6log10 reduction required.
Treated wastes disposed only in controlled dumps or sanitary landfills.
Inertization and encapsulation appropriate for pharmaceuticals and sharps.

Controlled Dump Facility: interim disposal with specific operational requirements, including lined disposal cells, signage, record keeping.
Sanitary Landfill Facility: engineered disposal with dedicated cells for treated waste; conform to RA 9003; ECC amendments required.
Safe Burial On-site: allowed in remote areas with limited capacity; chemical disinfection required; follows DOH guidelines.
Concrete Vault for Sharps: used for sharps disposal with security fencing, proper signage, watertight construction.

Healthcare facilities must have wastewater treatment or connect to sewage plants; pre-treatment required for labs.

Specifies towns and cities within Laguna Lake watershed under LLDA jurisdiction.

Restricted access, impermeable lining, burial of only hazardous wastes, no large chemical quantities, proper layering and covering, flood avoidance, security fencing, location restrictions, record keeping, capacity limits.

Pit construction specifications, isolation distances, concrete structure with manhole, security fencing, and proper deposition steps.