Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024
(a) This section contains the regulations of the Department governing the authorization and operation of noncommercial and commercial collection facilities for regulated medical waste. Such facilities shall accept and handle only medical waste and regulated medical waste as defined at 7:26-3A.5. Such facilities shall not accept or handle solid waste as defined at 7:26-1.4 and 1.6 other than medical waste and regulated medical waste, hazardous waste as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:26G, or recyclable material as defined at 7:26A-1.3.
(b) Any registered regulated medical waste generator that conducts activities as a collection facility and that generates regulated medical waste in the ordinary course of business at the same site, such as a doctor or hospital, that operates on a noncommercial basis and accepts only medical wastes in quantities greater than 2,000 pounds per year from other generators registered pursuant to 7:26-3A.8 and home self-care medical wastes in accordance with 7:26-3A.16(h) for collection for transportation off-site for treatment and/or disposal in accordance with this subchapter shall operate as a noncommercial collection facility and shall comply with the requirements at (b)1 through 3 below and at (i) and (k)4 below.
1. Noncommercial collection facilities are exempt from registration as regulated medical waste transporters pursuant to 7:26-3A.8 provided they are operated in compliance with 7:26-3A.27(e), except that noncommercial collection facilities collecting less than 2,000 pounds of RMW per year shall additionally be exempt from 7:26-3A.27(e) as well.
2. Noncommercial collection facilities that collect 2,000 pounds or more of regulated medical waste per year shall comply with the standards for the operation of collection facilities at (i) below.
3. The boundaries of noncommercial collection facilities shall be limited to the site for which the owner and/or operator of the facility is registered as a regulated medical waste generator pursuant to 7:26-3A.8 or as an exempted transporter pursuant to 7:26-3A.27(e), including buildings on the site and vehicles registered pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 3A, 16 and 16A at the site for the purpose of transporting medical wastes.
(c) Any collection facility that does not meet the criteria in (b) above as a noncommercial collection facility shall obtain authorization as a commercial collection facility pursuant to (d) below and shall operate in accordance with the requirements of this section.
(d) A person registered and licensed pursuant to this subchapter and N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 16, and 16A to transport regulated medical waste in the State of New Jersey that seeks to operate a commercial collection facility for medical waste shall submit an application containing the information listed at (d)1 through 15 below. All maps of the proposed facility shall be prepared in a manner and format consistent with N.J.A.C. 7:1D, Appendix A. Three copies of the application and all accompanying documents shall be submitted to the Department at the address specified in (e) below, and one copy each to the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency:
1. The name, address and telephone number of the person or persons seeking to operate the proposed commercial collection facility;
2. A photocopy of the applicant's authorized registration as a regulated medical waste transporter obtained pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 3A, 16 and 16A;
3. Photocopies of all authorizations for siting, construction and operation obtained pursuant to applicable local, regional, State or Federal agency with jurisdiction over any aspect of the proposed facility;
4. A copy of the tax map showing the lot and block numbers of the facility site and of all adjoining properties;
5. A description of the current use of the facility site and of all adjoining properties;
6. Documentation establishing that the facility has been included by administrative action in the applicable district solid waste management plan. The Department may issue an authorization in the absence of an administrative action if it determines that the collection facility is needed to help fulfill the objectives of the adopted and approved Statewide Regulated Medical Waste Management Plan or any individual district regulated waste management plan. The Department shall notify the host county and municipality of such a determination and the reasons justifying facility authorization in writing prior to any approval of operations;
7. A description of the maximum amount and types of waste to be received and transferred at the facility each day, expressed in tons or gallons per day, as applicable;
8. A description of the sources of the waste and the anticipated disposal locations of the waste, both in State and out of State;
9. A description of the type(s) and number of containers that will be used at the facility and the type and means of storage and staging of the containers;
10. Three copies of a site plan, prepared, signed, and sealed by a licensed New Jersey professional engineer, surveyor or architect. The site plan shall:
i. Identify the placement of all equipment, buildings, activities and areas related to the receipt, loading, unloading and temporary storage of regulated medical waste;
ii. Be drawn to a scale no smaller than one inch equals 100 feet;
iii. Indicate the routing of vehicles between the facility and all nearby roadways serving the site, as well as the traffic flow within the site. Such routing must ensure safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian circulation, parking, and loading and unloading of packages of regulated medical waste;
iv. Delineate floodplains as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:13;
v. Delineate the location of State-designated wetlands, New Jersey Pinelands, existing or suitable agricultural lands, Federal or New Jersey-registered historic sites and other environmentally sensitive areas such as State parks, wildlife management areas and National Wildlife Refuges;
vi. Identify the direction of water runoff both on-site and off-site and the screening and landscaping on the site;
vii. Indicate topographic contours, drawn at three-foot intervals; and
viii. Indicate all site access controls to be employed at the facility;
11. An original current 7.5 minute USGS Quadrangle map with the boundary of the facility plotted thereon. The map shall delineate any public access roads to the site and any streams, ponds or other potential sensitive receptors such as, but not limited to, hospitals, schools, and shopping areas within a one-half mile radius of the site;
12. A copy of the deed of record establishing ownership of the facility property or, if the applicant is a person other than the landowner, a legal agreement (for example, a lease) to use the real property for the purpose of operating the facility;
13. A description of the design capacity of the facility, setting forth the number and types of all vehicles arriving at the facility and the number and types of all vehicles leaving the facility on a daily basis, stating the maximum number of vehicles per hour that will arrive at and leave the facility;
14. A copy of any New Jersey air pollution control permit application as applicable, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:27; and
15. A narrative describing the facility operations from the receipt of waste through the point of transfer to destination. The narrative must clearly demonstrate that packages and containers will not be opened and that employees, the public or the environment will not be exposed to regulated medical waste or medical waste.
(e) The application described at (d) above shall be submitted in triplicate, along with the application fee set forth at N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.8, to:
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Sustainable Waste Management
Bureau of Recycling and Hazardous Waste Management
Mail Code 401-02C
PO Box 420
401 East State Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420
(f) Within 45 days after the Department receives the application submitted pursuant to (d) above, the Department shall take one of the following actions:
1. Issue a letter of authorization to operate the commercial collection facility, or a denial of the application, to the applicant and provide a copy of the letter of authorization or denial to the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency. A letter of authorization shall not be transferred to any other person except in accordance with 7:26-3A.49(e);
2. Notify the applicant in writing of missing information and provide a copy of the letter of deficiency to the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency; or
3. Notify the applicant in writing of any information that does not satisfy the requirements of (d) above and provide a copy of the letter of deficiency to the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency.
(g) An applicant shall submit to the Department and to the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency any additional or corrected information required pursuant to (f)2 or 3 above within 30 days of receipt of the notification from the Department of missing and/or insufficient information.
(h) The Department shall deny without prejudice the application of any applicant that fails to submit the additional or corrected information required pursuant to (f)2 or 3 above or that otherwise fails to meet the application criteria of this section. The applicant may thereafter submit a new application for authorization to operate a commercial collection facility at the same location pursuant to the requirements of this section.
(i) The operating standards for collection facilities are as follows:
1. The maximum amount of regulated medical wastes at a collection facility including regulated medical wastes in any vehicles staged at the facility shall not exceed 300,000 pounds at any time unless a higher amount is specified in the facility's letter of authorization.
2. Collection facilities shall not receive medical wastes in excess of 150,000 pounds per day unless a higher amount is specified in the facility's letter of authorization.
3. Collection facility operators shall comply with all requirements for transporters at 7:26-3A.27 through 3A.37.
4. Collection facilities shall accept only regulated medical waste managed in accordance with this subchapter.
5. Collection facilities shall allow only collection and transportation vehicles registered in accordance with this subchapter and N.J.A.C. 7:26-2, 16, 16A and 27, and operated in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26-3 and this subchapter to transport regulated medical waste to and from the facility.
6. Regulated medical waste received, stored or transferred at any collection facility shall at all times remain fully contained in sealed packages and containers packaged, marked and labeled pursuant to this subchapter that do not leak any liquids or solid materials, are not opened for any purpose at the facility and are registered as solid waste containers pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-3. Secondary outer packaging or containers may be removed so long as the primary packaging that contains the regulated medical waste and meets the performance requirements for packaging at 7:26-3A.11 is not opened, ruptured or compromised in any way.
7. Regulated medical waste shall not remain at a noncommercial collection facility for more than 90 consecutive calendar days, which period shall include weekends and holidays. A noncommercial collection facility at which waste is staged or stored for more than 90 days shall be deemed to be an illegal solid waste transfer station, and shall be subject to all penalties authorized pursuant to applicable statutes and rules.
8. Unless exempted under 7:26-6.3, all regulated medical waste accepted at a collection facility from New Jersey sources shall be disposed of in accordance with the applicable District Solid Waste Management Plan developed pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-6. A collection facility shall not accept packages or containers in which regulated medical waste generated from more than one New Jersey district or county, or out-of-State source, has been mixed. Any out-of-State waste accepted at a collection facility shall be disposed of consistent with the provisions set forth in the approved District Solid Waste Management Plan for the district in which the facility is located, or at permitted out-of-State disposal facilities authorized by the receiving state.
9. Regulated medical waste at any collection facility shall not emit odors that are detectable at the facility or in the vicinity of the facility. Any waste that does emit any odor shall be immediately disposed of in accordance with this subchapter.
10. Access to any collection facility shall be restricted to facility operators, regulated medical waste vehicle operators and authorized visitors only. Effective security procedures shall be implemented to control entry and exit at all times. All regulated medical waste packages and containers staged or stored at the facility shall be secured at all times in a manner that prevents unauthorized access to the packages and containers and their contents.
11. The Department's designated representatives and inspectors shall have the right to enter and inspect any building or any other portion of any collection facility, including vehicles, at any time. This right to enter and inspect includes, but is not limited to:
i. Observing and sampling any wastes or other materials on site;
ii. Photographing any portion of the facility, regulated medical waste vehicles, regulated medical waste packages and containers;
iii. Investigating an actual or suspected source of pollution of the environment or any release of regulated medical waste;
iv. Ascertaining compliance or noncompliance with the statutes, rules, regulations, or policies of the Department, including conditions of the facility's letter of authorization or any other permit or certificate issued by the Department; and
v. Reviewing and copying all applicable records described in this section, which shall be maintained at the facility at all times and shall be made available on request to Department representatives and inspectors at all reasonable times for review and inspection.
12. Collection facilities shall comply with the requirements of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and all other applicable standards of any agency for the operation of the facility and the maintenance of the health and safety of the employees and other persons.
13. Routine housekeeping and maintenance procedures shall be implemented at the facility to prevent the accumulation of dust and/or debris and to maintain general cleanliness throughout the facility and in the working environment.
14. Any areas or surfaces at a commercial collection facility that have come into contact with regulated medical waste shall be disinfected immediately in accordance with the Spill Management Plan approved pursuant to 7:26-3A.37.
15. Any release or discharge of any regulated medical waste at a collection facility shall be immediately reported by the facility operator or its designee to the DEP Emergency Response 24-hour Hotline at 1-877-WARNDEP. This telephone report shall specify the type of waste or substance discharged in estimated quantity, the nature of the discharge, the location of the discharge, any action being taken or proposed to be taken in order to mitigate the discharge, and any other information concerning the incident the Department may request at the time of notification. In addition, the facility operator or emergency coordinator designated pursuant to (j) below shall:
i. Immediately identify the character, source, amount, and extent of any discharge and notify all appropriate State or local agencies with designated response roles if assistance is needed;
ii. Assess possible hazards to public health or the environment that may result and notify appropriate local authorities if such assessment indicates that evacuation of local areas may be advisable;
iii. Ensure that no regulated medical waste is processed in the affected unit and area until cleanup procedures are completed and all equipment is again fit for its intended use;
iv. Notify the Department and appropriate local authorities when operations have returned to normal; and
v. Submit a written report on the incident to the Department within 15 days after the incident. The written report shall include, but not be limited to, the name, address, and telephone number of the facility; the date, time, and description of the incident; the extent of any injuries of any severity, with names and job responsibilities of those persons injured indicated; an assessment of actual damage to the environment; an assessment of the scope and magnitude of the incident; a description of the immediate actions initiated to clean up and disinfect the affected area; a description of actions taken to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident and, an implementation schedule for undertaking long-term measures to effect cleanup and avoid recurrence of the incident, if applicable.
16. Deliveries of regulated medical waste to collection facilities shall be scheduled in such a manner as to minimize truck queuing on the facility property as well as on the street or road leading to the entrance. On-site traffic control measures shall be implemented to provide orderly vehicle movement at collection facilities. If, at any time, the additional traffic generated by the operation of the facility results in congestion of surrounding roads and intersections, corrective measures shall be developed and implemented immediately to alleviate traffic-related problems.
17. No regulated medical waste or medical waste shall be staged, placed or stored beyond the confines of a building at the collection facility or a regulated medical waste vehicle registered pursuant to this subchapter, N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 16 or 16A.
18. Collection facilities shall pay all fees and register in accordance with all applicable regulations for any other waste management activities conducted at the facility, in addition to the complying with the requirements of this subchapter.
(j) Additional operating requirements for commercial collection facilities are as follows:
1. The commercial collection facility operator shall designate an on-site emergency coordinator who is available during all hours of operation for the purpose of handling emergency situations such as, but not limited to, spills, discharges or releases of medical wastes at the facility.
2. The commercial collection facility operator shall develop and maintain at the site an operations and maintenance (O&M) manual that shall describe all operating conditions and procedures of the facility. The O&M manual shall be made available to all facility personnel. The O&M manual shall be prepared in accordance with 7:26-2.10(b)9.
3. All personnel directly involved in any commercial collection facility waste management activities or who operate, service or monitor any facility equipment, machinery or system at the facility shall successfully complete a training program of classroom instruction, which shall be combined with on-the-job training as needed. The training program shall:
i. Provide fire fighting training, instructions for implementing the Spill Management Plan in accordance with 7:26-3A.37 and ensure that facility personnel are able to effectively respond to any equipment malfunction and emergency situation that may arise;
ii. Provide instructions in the use and operation of safety equipment, procedures for inspecting, maintaining and repairing facility equipment, machinery and monitoring systems and the procedures to be followed during planned and unplanned shutdown of operations;
iii. Contain instructions that ensure the facility's compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the conditions of any Departmental letters of authorization and permits issued for the facility;
iv. Contain instruction for the constant monitoring of incoming loads for conformance with the requirements of this section and the identification and proper handling of suspected unauthorized wastes;
v. Be completed by all facility personnel within two weeks after the date of their employment and prior to work assignment at the facility;
vi. Be conducted on an annual basis for all facility personnel in the form of a planned annual review of the complete training program; and
vii. Be documented in the form of detailed training records that record the names of personnel trained, the dates when training occurred and the type and extent of training provided. The training documentation shall be maintained at the facility for three years from the date the training occurred.
4. Any commercial collection facility operator and any person designated by such operator to operate part or all of the collection facility or to conduct any of its waste-related activities shall be registered as a regulated medical waste transporter pursuant to 7:26-3A.3, 16 and 16A.
5. The commercial collection facility shall maintain sufficient staff to ensure the proper, orderly and safe operation of all facility systems and equipment, along with the ability to handle all routine facility maintenance requirements.
6. Fire detection and protection systems shall be maintained in operable condition at all times. Fire-fighting equipment shall be available on-site or on call to extinguish any and all fires. Fire fighting procedures shall be posted in each area of the facility and shall include the telephone number of local fire and police departments.
7. Noise control shall be implemented to ensure that sound levels generated by the facility operation, including vehicles, shall not exceed the standards set forth in Noise Control rules at N.J.A.C. 7:29.
8. One complete set of the commercial collection facility's operating records, the O&M manual and these rules shall be kept on file at the facility, and shall be available to facility personnel and for inspection by the Department or its designated representatives.
9. The commercial collection facility's material management system's safety appliances and related appurtenances shall, at all times, be kept in the proper operating order through an effective inspection, planned maintenance, repair and parts replacement program as described in the O&M manual. As part of this program, the facility operator shall maintain an inventory of spare parts and replacement equipment, records of all inspections, as well as have access to back up equipment to ensure continued operation of the facility.
10. Regulated medical waste shall not remain at a commercial collection facility for more than 14 consecutive calendar days, which period shall include weekends and holidays. A commercial collection facility at which waste is staged or stored for more than 14 calendar days shall be deemed to be an illegal solid waste transfer station, and shall be subject to all penalties authorized pursuant to applicable statutes and rules.
(k) A collection facility operator shall maintain the following records at the facility at all times and shall file reports as follows. The operator shall retain records and reports for three years.
1. A commercial collection facility shall maintain daily records that shall note the source, destination, and quantity, by vehicle, of all regulated medical waste received, transferred, and shipped to and from the facility. The records shall specify the source for every shipment of regulated medical waste received and the destination of every shipment of regulated medical waste out of the facility. Quantities of regulated medical waste shall be listed in tons or gallons, as appropriate.
i. The daily records shall be compiled into quarterly reports in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26-2.13 and shall be submitted to the following address within 20 days of the end of each calendar quarter:
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Sustainable Waste Management
Bureau of Recycling and Hazardous Waste Management
Mail Code 401-02C
PO Box 420
401 East State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420
2. A commercial collection facility shall maintain records that document all violations of any local, State and Federal requirements, including violations of the collection facility authorization issued by the Department.
3. A commercial collection facility shall maintain records that document all incidents in which a transporter not registered and licensed pursuant to this subchapter and N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 16 and 16A, or a container not registered pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, was denied transfer privileges at the facility. These records shall specify the vehicle driver's name, the vehicle license number, the vehicle registration number, the name of the company operating the vehicle, the solid waste registration number of the company, the date and time of the denial, the size of the vehicle or container, and the tracking form numbers for the waste in the container. These incidents shall also be reported within 24 hours to the Department's Bureau of Solid Waste Compliance and Enforcement or the Environmental Hotline at 1-877-WARNDEP.
4. All collection facilities shall maintain records in accordance with 7:26-3A.34, 3A.43 and 3A.44, except that noncommercial facilities are not required to comply with 7:26-3A.44(a)1 and 2.
(l) Any person that conducts any of the activities of a commercial collection facility as defined in this section without authorization from the Department, or without a solid waste transfer station permit issued pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-2A, shall be deemed to be operating an illegal solid waste facility and shall be subject to all applicable penalties pursuant to the Solid Waste Management Act, N.J.S.A. 13:1E, and N.J.A.C. 7:26-5.
(m) Any authorized commercial collection facility that accepts unauthorized waste, or fails to operate in compliance with the requirements of this section, shall be deemed an illegal solid waste facility and shall be subject to all applicable penalties pursuant to the Solid Waste Management Act, N.J.S.A. 13:1E, and N.J.A.C. 7:26-5.
(n) Any authorized commercial collection facility that accepts regulated medical waste from a transporter not registered and licensed pursuant to this subchapter and N.J.A.C. 7:26-3, 16 and 16A shall be subject to penalties for violation of New Jersey solid waste planning rules at N.J.A.C. 7:26-6, including, but not limited to, revocation of transporter registration, certification and licensing, and revocation of collection facility authorization.
(o) The Department may revoke the authorization of a commercial collection facility if that facility fails to comply with the requirements for such facilities or any law in any way related to the operation of a commercial collection facility pursuant to New Jersey statute or the Department determines that any of the causes for modification in (p) below are sufficient cause for revocation in order to protect human health, safety and the environment.
(p) The Department may modify a commercial collection facility authorization for the following reasons and the operator shall pay a fee as specified in 7:26-3A.8 on issuance of any commercial collection facility authorization modification:
1. The Department determines that there are material and significant alterations or additions to the authorized commercial collection facility or operation that occurred after Department issued the existing letter of authorization that warrant the imposition of conditions different from or lacking in the existing authorization;
2. The Department receives information that was not available at the time it issued the letter of authorization that would have warranted the issuance of conditions in the authorization different from those imposed in the existing authorization. This information may include, but is not limited to, information concerning the effects of the facility on the properties surrounding the facility or the effects of the facility on the environment;
3. A change in Federal or State laws, regulations or policies governing solid waste and/or regulated medical waste management;
4. The regulatory compliance record of the collection facility operator;
5. A relevant judicial decision after the authorization was issued; or
6. An operator of a commercial collection facility shall request a modification of its authorization whenever the operator proposes to change any aspect of the operation as originally described in the application. Such change include, but are not limited to, changes in the amount and type of regulated medical waste managed at the facility, and changes in the sources of regulated medical waste and changes in the regulated medical waste disposal location.
(q) The Department shall provide 30-day prior notice of a modification to an authorization to operate a commercial collection facility pursuant to (p) above and its reasons for determining a modification is warranted. This notice shall be sent to the operator of the facility and the host municipality and district solid waste management plan implementation agency.
(r) Ninety days prior to the expiration of a Commercial Collection Facility Letter of Authorization, the bearer of the letter of authorization for the facility shall notify the Department in writing if they do not wish to renew said Letter of Authorization, otherwise a Letter of Authorization renewal application shall be submitted at that time in accordance with the provisions of 7:26-3A.49.
