4 tips to make money in the medical waste industry

Waste is the only thing the world will ever have. As humans, we collectively produce tons of waste every day. From everyday household waste, biohazardous waste produced by large industries, medical waste produced by the healthcare industry, infectious waste, retail waste, electronic waste, the list is endless. In terms of food waste alone, Wired magazine reports that Americans throw away up to half of the food they eat.

So it’s no surprise that waste disposal is a multi-billion dollar industry because, let’s face it, with all the waste we produce, someone has to take the trash out. And it’s not as simple as taking it out but disposing of it properly to make sure that the waste we produce is not harmful to our environment.

You don’t normally think about it, but every piece of waste you produce needs to be disposed of in the right way. For example, if you have extra paint cans at home, you can’t just throw them away and that’s it, no. Your extra paint cans are classified as hazardous waste and to dispose of them, you’ll need to make an appointment at your nearest hazardous waste disposal center, drop them off, and they will then take care of disposing of them properly.

If that’s the process you have to go through to dispose of household hazardous waste, imagine what it’s like for medical waste? At your local hospitals and health centers alone, you can only imagine the amount of infectious medical waste they produce on a daily basis. To dispose of this waste, the right infectious waste management methods it must be practiced and specialized medical waste management services are required to properly dispose of it according to the rules and regulations stipulated by the state.

And this is how you become a real earner – there are plenty of business opportunities for you in the medical waste industry.

And if you are thinking that only hospitals produce this type of waste, you can think again. According to Chron.com, if you’re willing to meet all regulatory requirements and invest in all the necessary tools and machinery, you can provide waste removal services to “medical, dental, and veterinary practices, as well as ambulatory surgical centers, and.” In fact, you can contract with many other establishments that produce medical waste such as pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, private practices, even prisons; Just about anywhere that produces infectious medical waste can become your potential customer.

If you’re interested in taking advantage of the gold mine of business opportunities that is the medical waste industry or if you already have your own waste disposal cleanup and are considering expanding, you can go ahead and read the six simple tips and resources we’ve narrowed down. to help you start your own medical waste disposal business:

1. Don’t be afraid to start small.

Start small, work hard, dream big, come out strong. That is the mantra of every small business owner. But that’s exactly what Taylor Chunn did. Winner of this year’s Waste 360 ​​40 Under 40 awards program “which recognizes inspiring and innovative professionals under the age of 40 whose work in the waste, recycling and organics industry has made a significant contribution to the industry.”

From literally knocking on doors and handing out business cards, Taylor Chunn is now the CEO and President of Medical Waste Management, a New Orleans-based medical waste disposal company that handles a whopping 2 million pounds of waste each year.

2. Comply with all your state’s medical waste disposal rules, rules and regulations.

The waste disposal industry is heavily regulated, and for obvious reasons. Waste handling, management and disposal can be a very delicate and tedious process. All safety precautions must be taken to keep you, your personnel and the environment safe. That is why complying with state regulations is imperative. As a result of all these regulations, it is inevitable to be audited periodically. To avoid high fees, you should always comply.

To get started, you can take a look at the US Environmental Protection Agency website. The EPA site is a great resource for researching everything you need to know about waste regulations. You can also search for legitimate websites, such as medicalwasteregulations.com, where you can look up each state’s medical regulations.

Chron.com also offers ground rules on starting your own medical waste disposal company.

3. Invest in adequate transport facilities and services

“Pick up the trash” is one of the most basic functions of a waste removal service company. Of course, with the exception of infectious waste or sharps disposalwhere there will be times when you will need to drop it off at certified waste disposal centers, your primary job role as waste disposal services is to physically collect biohazardous waste from various establishments.

Go to the Department of Environmental Conservation website for complete and detailed information on the treatment, storage, containment, transportation, and disposal of regulated biohazardous waste.

4. The most important thing is to invest in the right people

Unlike other small businesses where you can be an operations manager, personnel supervisor, human resources, and all other functions all rolled into one, a medical waste company needs properly trained staff. You can start with a handful of people with basic job functions, but invest in people with the training, certifications, etc. suitable. is vital to ensure your success in this industry.

There you have it: simple and practical tips for starting your own medical waste business. We know it’s not easy to get everything up and running, but with the right mindset, the right resources, and of course hard work, making money from medical waste is a great opportunity.