Michigan EGLE Regulation Compliance

Most medical waste cannot be stored at your facility for more than 90 days. The 90-day period begins when the storage container is first put into use, not when it becomes full. Your waste should be removed before that deadline. Sharps containers follow a separate rule: an in-use sharps container may remain onsite for up to 18 months, but it must be closed once it reaches three-quarters full. Once closed, it is still subject to the facility’s applicable 90-day medical waste storage limit.

Yes. Michigan regulates any medical waste-producing facility, not just traditional healthcare providers. For example, a public school that stores used EpiPens, sharps, or materials saturated with blood is still subject to EGLE’s medical waste requirements. The same applies to a manufacturing facility that produces or stores regulated medical waste. If your organization produces or stores regulated medical waste, you must follow the applicable registration, storage, handling, training, and disposal requirements.

Several government agencies may inspect how your organization handles medical waste. In Michigan, this may include EGLE, your local health department, and MIOSHA. The Michigan State Police may also review how waste is packaged and prepared for transportation, while federal DOT or PHMSA inspectors may examine shipping documents, employee training, and transportation procedures. Because multiple agencies regulate different parts of the process, your facility should be prepared to show that its medical waste is properly stored, packaged, documented, and shipped.

There are several steps involved in becoming fully compliant with Michigan’s medical waste requirements. A good first step is registering your business or organization with EGLE as a medical waste-producing facility using a free MiEnviro account. After registration, you may also need a written Medical Waste Management Plan, proper storage containers, employee training, pickup records, and compliant transportation documentation. Contact our team and we can help identify what applies to your facility and guide you through the process.

For businesses and organizations, no. This is a common misconception caused by confusing household disposal guidance with the rules that apply to medical waste-producing facilities. Michigan allows residents to place household-generated needles and lancets in the trash under certain local disposal procedures, although EGLE recommends using a community collection or take-back program when one is available — household sharps should be placed in a strong, puncture-resistant container and secured to prevent release. Businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, manufacturers, and other organizations are different: sharps generated by these facilities are regulated medical waste and must be properly stored, documented, treated, and disposed of through an approved medical waste process. Superior recommends that residents first check with their local municipality for a household sharps collection program.

Employees who handle, package, store, transport, or otherwise manage medical waste should receive training on the procedures outlined in the facility’s Medical Waste Management Plan, and Michigan EGLE requires medical waste-producing facilities to keep records showing that applicable employees have been trained. Bloodborne pathogens training is a separate OSHA requirement: employees with reasonably anticipated exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials must be trained when first assigned to those duties and at least annually afterward. Additional training may also be required when job duties or procedures change. Training records should be kept organized and available for inspection.

Violations can result in fines of up to $2,500 per violation, plus up to $1,000 for each day the violation continues. Failure to register or provide a Medical Waste Management Plan for inspection carries a $500 fine. A court may also order the facility to stop the violation, and additional penalties may apply if other environmental, workplace-safety, or transportation laws are involved.