The university as a body has policies, processes, and practices on waste disposal covering hazardous and infectious waste disposal. The Infectious Waste Disposal policy establishes safe handling and proper disposal of regulated medical waste.
These include cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals, pathological wastes such as tissues, organs, body parts and body fluids, human blood and body fluid waste, animal wastes, isolation wastes, and used sharps.
The Hazardous Waste Disposal policy establishes policy and procedures for the handling, transportation and disposal of hazardous waste. To reduce the volume, the policy dictates that generators of hazardous waste shall minimize the volume or toxicity of their waste through the use of substitutions which will eliminate or reduce the amount of hazardous ingredients, management practices to reduce unnecessary waste generation, and purchase only the quantity of material anticipated to be used and establishing usage parameters for each chemical.
Penn State’s Environmental Health and Safety website provides information about Pollution Prevention Initiatives.