At its regular meeting in Richmond, the Virginia Waste Management Board approved the recommendation of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to amend the regulated medical waste (RMW) management regulations (9VAC20-120) in order to modernize, streamline and enhance the general handling and treatment of RMW across the state. The proposed changes would create a more cohesive and technically modern regulation to manage various types of medical wastes. The proposed changes include, but are not limited to:
- Streamlining the permitting structure to include a single permit-by-rule application for all types of permittees
- Clarifying the responsibilities of generators, transporters and permitted treatment facilities
- Requiring best management practices for medical wastes, including highly infectious medical wastes
Many existing provisions remain the same except for revisions to address recodification, clarity, conciseness and efficiency. In addition to the work completed through the Regulatory Advisory Panel and comments received through the Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (commonly known as NOIRA), the Board will be seeking public comments on the technical merits, associated costs and potential impacts of the regulatory proposal.
The 60-day public comment period will be announced on the Virginia Town Hall at www.townhall.virginia.gov after completion of the executive review process. Presentations were provided to the Board by DEQ technical staff and Land Division Director Justin Williams updated the Board with an overview on solid waste program, annual accomplishments, recycling and corrective actions. The next meeting of the Waste Board is anticipated for Spring 2020.
For more information, visit www.DEQ.Virginia.gov/.