How Do We Remove Biohazards? The Biohazard Trash Can
There was news about a patient who angrily threw biohazard waste at a nurse last year (worry not, it happened in Pennsylvania). This article made many people wonder how they usually get rid of biohazards. Well, the answer lies in procuring a biohazard trash can.
When you are facing a biohazard crisis in San Diego, Phoenix, Riverside, or Southern Nevada, you start by calling professionals who have the right means for biohazard disposal & removal. We recently did a blog about what the term “biohazard” really means. We at BioClean now want to let you know everything about the trash cans used for biohazards.
California and Arizona follow strict guidelines when it comes to eliminating infectious risks from trauma centers and crime scenes. Unattended deaths also contribute to pathogen buildup. So, we at BioClean do everything in our power to restore these crime scenes for habitation.
We follow four painstakingly difficult steps to bring peace to your life (and on your property).
Step #1: Quick Assessment and Rapid Containment
Commercial garbage containers are not fit for this job. That’s how we follow this procedure:
- We arrive in unmarked vans within hours
- We have the PPE for this job (i.e., Tyvek suits, N95 respirators, double gloves, booties, etc.)
- We do a full walkthrough of your property to identify the scope of contamination
- We seal your doorways shut with 6-mil plastic sheeting
- We tape all vents and run negative air scrubbers (HEPA-filtered) to trap aerosols
There’s no illegal & irresponsible dumping of medical waste and drugs when we’re on the job.
Step #2: Gross Removal with a Biohazard Trash Can
We start by dealing with whatever’s visible. After that, we use a biohazard trash can to double-bag each & every contaminated material, whether these are your blood-soaked linens, carpet chunks, or gloves. Then, we mark these cans with ☣️ symbols.
- These rigid & leak-proof containers will prevent punctures from needles or sharp bone fragments,
- We use disposable scrapers for liquids that have been absorbed with spill kits (granular super-absorbents) and solids scraped into bags.
There’s no regular trash! Because everything classified as medical waste goes to licensed incinerators. A single unattended death can create 120 lbs. So, we track weights for manifests.
Step 3: Deep Cleaning & Enzymatic Breakdown
We do the surfaces next! Did you know that UPS paid almost $2 million to settle lawsuits about hazardous waste sent to landfills? We realize that even minor negligence can turn into a major headache. That’s why we bring a biohazard trash can and do this:
- We use HEPA vacs with biohazard filters suck residue (and hospital-grade cleaners after that)
- Enzymatic agents help us attack organic matter at the molecular level (we use them to easily dissolve proteins and bleach misses)
- Bleach kills 99% of the bacteria left on non-porous surfaces (we also use peracetic acid for tough spores)
Step #4: Disinfecting and Fogging
We use electrostatic sprayers to coat every surface in the room evenly. Thus, these sprayers are just positively charged mist that clings like static wrap. It penetrates hard-to-reach cracks as well.
EPA-registered virucides (quaternary ammoniums & hydrogen peroxide) dwell for 10 minutes. They kill HIV, hepatitis, MRSA, norovirus, and everything else. Ozone generators are then used to oxidize airborne odor molecules trapped in fabrics. That’s how we clean up a crime scene by using medicine bins and trash cans that have been designed specifically for biohazards.
Why DIY Containment Measures Fail
You may be tempted to decontaminate a crime scene on your property. Especially when there’s a customer ready to rent it. But this temptation comes from the Devi! You can’t clean up crime scenes like these on your own:
- Bleach can miss crevices
- Regular trash can spread diseases
- Fines can easily go from $10k to $25k
- Families report PTSD and may even sue you
Biohazard removal is a very detail-oriented process. The same way you need sharps disposal containers in a hospital, you need professionals with the right trash cans to take care of these problems. We at BioClean come to your location in discreet vans & have trauma-trained crews to deal with any situation. Get in touch
