Q. Is Your Medical Waste Pickup Company Licensed, Insured and Fully Compliant?
A. HCMWS is licensed, insured and fully compliant with all Colorado and federal medical waste handling laws.

Q. What happens if I dispose of my medical waste improperly?
A. The fine imposed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for improper disposal is up to $15,000 for your first offense and up to $25,000 for subsequent offenses within a five year period. Having HCMWS handle your medical waste is your best option and we can save you 20% – 30% over what you’re currently paying.

Q. What is considered “infectious waste” and will a medical waste pickup company take care of it?
A. According to the CDPHE, infectious waste includes the following, “isolation wastes from person having a disease requiring Biosafety Level IV containment; cultures and stocks of infectious agents and biologicals; human blood, blood products and other body fluids; human pathological or anatomical waste consisting of tissues and body parts; contaminated sharps; and contaminated research animals and bedding. Yes, a medical waste pickup company can take care of this for you.

Q. My medical clinic only generates one full box of medical waste every three months. Do I need to have it removed more often?
A. In order to be in compliance with the CDPHE you cannot store biohazardous medical waste for longer than 30 days, nor can you store filled sharps containers for more than 90 days. You can rely on a medical waste pickup company to take of this for you. Refer to the CDPHE’s most recent compliance bulletin for all the details.

Q. I have a small dental clinic and we are on a tight budget. Is it ok for me to take our medical waste to the disposal facility myself when necessary?
A. No, not unless you are an approved medical waste transporter. HCMWS is an approved medical waste pick up and transport company and we offer a low cost option to your medical waste disposal needs. We can tailor a plan to meet your budget and your disposal needs while keeping you in compliance with the CDPHE guidelines.

Q. Isn’t there a difference between Animal Waste and Human Waste? Can’t I dispose of biohazardous waste from my veterinary clinic any way I choose?
A. In the eyes of the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment, NO. Biohazardous waste, regardless of whether it is generated from animals or humans, must follow the same guidelines of proper disposal. A medical waste pickup company can help you with this.  Refer to the CDPHE’s most recent compliance bulletin for all the details.

Q. Why can’t I just close up my sharps container and throw it out with my regular office trash?
A. The Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment has strict guidelines regarding proper disposal of biohazardous waste, including sharps. In order to prevent possible spread of disease, sharps must be treated by an approved treatment facility before being disposed of in a landfill. Refer to the CDPHE’s most recent compliance bulletin for all the details. HCMWS is approved to transport sharps to a treatment facility and will provide you with a certificate of destruction for your records.

Q. What do I do with the Certificate of Destruction?
A. You must maintain the Certificate of Destruction onsite for 3 years. This is important paperwork to have if you are ever audited by the CDPHE or OSHA.

Q. How can I tell if our facility is compliant with medical waste disposal laws?
A. Our Free 10 Point Compliance Review can help. One of our certified service representatives will review your medical waste pickup and handling procedures and make sure that you’re satisfying all relevant state and federal laws. Just give us a call or click here to request your free compliance review.

Q. How do your prices compare to other medical waste disposal companies?
A. Our medical waste pickup prices are almost always lower than our competitor’s prices. In fact, we’re so confident their prices are so much higher than ours, we’ll give you a $250 Visa Gift Card if we can’t beat their prices by 20% – 30% or more. Just fill out the form in the right margin of any of our web pages for a free, personalized, no-hassle quote.

Q. Do you charge for containers?
A. Although many of our competitors DO charge for containers, ours are free to our on-going service customers.

Q. How about bags and boxes. Is there a charge for these items?
A. Again, our competitors do have an additional charge for bags and boxes, but ours are free to our on-going service customers.

Q. Are there any additional charges or hidden fees?
A. Unlike our competitors that charge extra for medical waste containers, bags and boxes, and then slap you with administrative AND environmental fees…there are no additional charges with HCMWS. We provide one all inclusive price, with no additional charges and no hidden fees.

Q. What day will you pick up?
A. Our flexible pickup schedules are designed to meet your needs. Call or our office to discuss your options.

Q. What happens if you don’t pick up our medical waste on our scheduled day?
A. If we ever miss your regularly scheduled medical waste pickup day, then our service is free.

Q. Do you perform background checks and drug tests on your drivers?
A. We know you don’t want a medical waste disposal company that has drivers who have not passed employee background checks and drug tests. That’s why we require all our drivers to pass them, both before they are hired and also as a condition of continued employment. Additionally our drivers will always be “clean-cut”, in uniform and certified to handle medical waste.

Q. What is the term of your service agreement?
A. Our service agreement is for three years, unless you prefer a longer agreement.

Q. Do you offer training for our employees?
A. Yes. Our OSHA training programs include 10 and 30 hour General Industry Training and Blood-borne Pathogens Training

Q. Do you provide a copy of the manifest?
A. Yes. One of our drivers will give you with a copy of the manifest so that you know the number of containers that were picked up and the date of your service. After your waste has been processed we will mail you another copy of the manifest indicating the date your waste was destroyed.

Q. Do you maintain your manifest?
A. Yes we do.

Q. What happens if we lose a copy of our manifest? Can you provide another one?
A. Yes. If you lose your manifest just contact us and we’ll email it to you.