Merced County Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health (MCDEH) is the local enforcement agency responsible for administering the State’s Medical Waste Management Program in Merced County. The program oversees registration requirements for small and large quantity medical waste generators and conducts annual inspections of large quantity generators and facilities with onsite treatment.  

Encouraging Proper Containment and Disposal  

The program also encourages, through public education and awareness, proper containment and disposal of home-generated sharps such as needles, lancets, and syringes.  Safely and securely contained home-generated sharps can be taken to MCDEH for proper disposal. MCDEH is not able to accept items with unused or partially used medicines still in the syringes.   

Safe Disposal of Home-Generated Sharps Handout in English: https://www.co.merced.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/17209/SAFE-DISPOSAL-OF-SHARPS---Consumer-Flyer-Final?bidId= 

Safe Disposal of Home-Generated Sharps Handout in Spanish: https://www.co.merced.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/17210/spanish-SAFE-DISPOSAL-OF-SHARPS---Consumer-Flyer-Final?bidId= 

Register as a Medical Waste Generator 

To apply to register as a Medical Waste Generator in Merced County, please submit a completed Medical Waste Generator Registration Application.  All small quantity generators are required to resubmit the application every two years.  All large quantity generators are required to resubmit the application every year.  Depending on the generator type, an annual fee is required to be paid for the registration/permit.  Please contact MCDEH to find out which fee(s) may apply to your facility. Please download the Medical Waste Generator Registration Application available on MCDEH’s website. 

Small quantity and large quantity generators with onsite treatment are required to submit a completed Medical Waste Management Plan (MWMP), in additional to the application.  Please download the MWMP template available on MCDEH’s website if you do not already have a plan that meets the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) checklist of requirements. CDPH’s checklist can be found here:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ControlledForms/cdph8661.pdf

Medical Waste Law

• Medical Waste Management Act 2017

Frequently Asked Questions 

• Frequently Asked Questions

Forms

• Medical Waste Generator Registration Application 
• Medical Waste Management Plan Form
• Medical Waste Tracking Document Form

Home-generated Sharps

• Safe Disposal of Home-generated Sharps 
• Desecho Sanitario de Jeringas y Objetos Puntiagudos - Generados en Casa 

Pharmaceutical Waste 

• Pharmaceutical Waste
  

Disposal Methods of Unused Medications 

• https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines
• https://www.fda.gov/consumers/articulos-en-espanol/como-y-donde-deshacerse-de-los-medicamentos-sin-utilizar

Donating Unused Insulin

• Donating Insulin Products
• Insulin Donation Shipping Form  

Amalgam Waste Recycling

•  Amalgam at Dental Offices 

FDA's List of Medications Recommended for Disposal by Flushing