HomeMy WebLinkAboutord2009-025 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL AGENDA BILL NO. 2009 — 189
CLEARANCES Initial Date Date Received in Council Office Agenda Date Assigned to:
Originator: ‘_- 4/7/2009 4/14/2009 Introduction
Division Head: 4 / 28 / 2009 Hearing
Dept. Head:
Prosecutor:
Purchasing/Budget:
Executive:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT:
Ordinance amending WCC24.06, Solid Waste Rules and Regulations, re: sharps
ATTACHMENTS:
Ordinance
SEPA review required? ( ) Yes ( ) NO Should Clerk schedule a hearing ? ( X ) Yes ( ) NO
SEPA review completed? ( ) Yes ( ) NO Requested Date:
4/28/2009
SUMMARY STATEMENT OR LEGAL NOTICE LANGUAGE: (If this item is an ordinance or requires a public
hearing, you must provide the language for use in the required public notice. Be specific and cite RCW or WCC as appropriate.
Be clear in explaining the intent of the action.)
This ordinance will amend WCC 24.06, Solid Waste Rules and Regulations - Standards and Permits, to allow retractable sharps waste (defined as
"all commercially generated syringes with needles that retract securely into the syringe after injection") to be disposed as solid waste in the municipal
solid waste stream . Retractable sharps waste shall be contained in red colored , rigid, puncture-resistant, leak proof containers made of materials
including , but not limited to, metal or plastic, designed to prevent the loss of the contents and clearly labeled with a visible biohazard symbol and the
words "Biohazard" and Retractable Sharps.
COMMITTEE ACTION.• COUNCIL ACTION:
4 / 14 / 2009 : Introduced
4 / 28 / 2009 : Council Adopted 7 - 0
Ord . 2009 - 025
Related County Contract #: Related File Numbers: Ordinance or Resolution
Number: Ord . 2009 - 025
Please Note: Once adopted and signed, ordinances and resolutions are available for viewing and printing
on the County 's website at: www. co. whatcom. wa. us/council.
•
1 SPONSORED BY : Consent
2 PROPOSED BY: Consent
3 INTRODUCTION DATE : April 14, 2009
4
5
6 ORDINANCE NO . 2009 -025
7
8 AMENDING WHATCOM COUNTY CODE 24 . 06, SOLID WASTE RULES AND
9 REGULATIONS - STANDARDS AND PERMITS, TO ALLOW RETRACTABLE SHARPS
10 WASTE TO BE DISPOSED AS SOLID WASTE IN THE MUNICIPAL WASTE STREAM
11
12
13 WHEREAS, WCC24 . 06 . 040, Biomedical Waste , currently requires that sharps waste,
14 defined as used hypodermic needles, syringes with needles, intravenous tubing with needles
15 attached , scalpel blades, and lancets, be treated prior to disposal as solid waste in order to
16 prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens from needlestick injuries ; and
17
18 WHEREAS, one type of sharps waste, referred to as retractable sharps waste , is
19 considered to significantly reduce the potential for needlestick injuries through retraction of the
20 needle into the syringe after injection ; and
21
22 WHEREAS, retractable sharps are primarily used for vaccination purposes, where costs
23 due to unnecessary treatment may increase the costs of vaccination , and subsequently reduce
24 vaccination rates ; and
25
26 NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED by the Whatcom County Council , acting as the
27 Whatcom County Board of Health , that amendments to WCC 24 . 06 , Solid Waste Rules and
28 Regulations- Standards and Permits, as outlined in Exhibit A to this ordinance are hereby adopted .
29
30 BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED that if any section , subsection , sentence , clause or phrase of
31 this ordinance is for any reason held to invalid or unconstitutional ; such decision shall not affect
32 the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance .
33
34 BE IT FINALLY ORDAINED that the Council hereby declares that it would have passed
35 this code and each section , subsection , sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the
36 fact that any one or more sections , subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases has been declared
37 invalid or unconstitutional , and the original ordinance or ordinances shall be in full force and
38 affect .
39 `��%rltfihIuinIIII,I
40 ,� g •�(y th day of April , 2009 .
41 . ' % \ A7 • .
42 S • CA -- O, ••�i WHATCOM COUNTY • UNCIL
43 A ."" ‘AfiN WHATC 'I M CO ; N i /lAS INGTON
_ `45 . , / ar_t .� fr
46 Da-isle Bre pis - Da4s $ rk of$ he Council Sir Fleet •'d , Council Chair
•
48 A ' PR. rA, E A�•7 RM ��`�
49 1/4 .1 ii1� � t%
50 ■ i ,
tIr
51 Civil Deputy Prosecutor Pete Krem , Executive
52
53 ( Approved ( ) Denied
54
57-k-
55 Date :
Please note : This Ordinance became effective May 12 , 2009
EXHIBIT A
WCC 24 . 06
SOLID WASTE RULES AND REGULATIONS- STANDARDS AND PERMITS
24. 06 . 030 Definitions .
6 . " Retractable sharps waste" is all commercially generated syringes with needles
that retract securely into the syringe after injection .
7 . "Sharps waste" is all hypodermic needles , syringes with needles attached ,
intravenous tubing with needles attached , scalpel blades , and lancets that have
been removed from the original sterile package
24. 06 . 040 . Biomedical waste .
A. Exemptions .
2 . Retractable Sharps Waste Exemption . Retractable sharps waste disposed of in
containers not exceeding 2 gallons are exempt from the requirements of this
chapter, provided that :
a . Retractable sharps waste shall be contained in red colored rigid , puncture-
resistant, leakproof containers made of materials including , but not limited to ,
metal or plastic , designed to prevent the loss of the contents and clearly labeled
with a visible biohazard symbol and the words " Biohazard " and " Retractable
Sharps . "