Medical Waste Disposal in Tennessee

Tennessee runs about 500 road miles from Memphis on the Mississippi River to Bristol and the Tri-Cities in the northeast corner, with major medical centers in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. EnviCare serves Tennessee statewide. We're a large regional Southeast medical waste company headquartered at our CareCenter in Cartersville, Georgia, with a local CareExchange in Nashville. Our fleet runs from route trucks to tractor trailers, sized for anything from a single dental office to a hospital system or a full records cleanout.

Call 888-697-6342 or request a quote for Tennessee medical waste pickup.

Medical Waste Services in Tennessee

• Regulated medical waste pickup - Red-bag biohazardous waste, cultures and stocks, pathological waste, waste blood and blood products, and contaminated lab and dialysis waste, picked up on a schedule that fits your volume.

• Sharps disposal - Our reusable sharps container program, or disposable sharps containers in several sizes, which you can also order through the EnviCare shop.

• Pharmaceutical waste disposal - Pickup and destruction of non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, plus pharmaceutical mail-back kits for controlled and non-controlled medications. Kits return to our Cartersville facility for documented destruction.

• Trace chemotherapy waste - Yellow containers for the empty vials, IV bags, tubing, gloves and gowns left from chemo prep and administration.

• NAID AAA certified document destruction - Scheduled paper shredding with a certificate of destruction for every job, plus large-volume paper purges and cleanouts.

• Secure document storage - Off-site storage for paper records in EnviCare's secure document storage facility.

• Documented hard drive destruction - Hard drives and other data-bearing devices are physically destroyed and documented with a certificate of destruction.

• E-waste recycling - Pickup and recycling of retired computers, monitors, printers and other IT equipment.

• OSHA and HIPAA compliance training - Bloodborne Pathogens, Hazard Communication and HIPAA training, with written plans and training records in one place. Includes DOT medical waste training, which federal rules (49 CFR 172.704) require for employees who sign medical waste manifests.

Who We Serve in Tennessee

Our Tennessee clients include:

• Hospitals, surgery centers and infusion centers - higher-volume regulated waste, trace chemo, reusable sharps and pharmaceutical waste.

• Physician, specialty and urgent care practices - single offices and multi-site groups.

• Dental offices and oral surgeons

• Veterinary clinics and animal hospitals

• Research, university and clinical labs

• Dialysis centers - Tennessee's medical waste definition specifically covers waste in contact with dialysis patients' blood.

• Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice agencies

• Pharmacies - independent, chain and long-term care pharmacies.

• Funeral homes and tattoo studios

• Records-heavy offices - practices closing, merging or clearing storage.

Tennessee Medical Waste Compliance

Tennessee regulates non-hazardous medical waste as a special waste under its solid waste rules, Rule Chapter 0400-11-01, issued under the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act (T.C.A. § 68-211-101 et seq.). The program is run by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), whose Division of Solid Waste Management merged in 2026 into the new Division of Land Protection. Licensed healthcare facilities also follow the waste standards of the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission.

Here's what the rules mean for a typical Tennessee facility:

• What counts as medical waste. Rule 0400-11-01-.01(2) covers cultures and stocks of infectious agents, waste human blood and blood products, pathological waste from surgery and autopsy, all discarded sharps, isolation waste, contaminated research animal waste, and certain waste from patients known to have blood-borne disease, including dialysis waste.

• Landfill limits. Under Rule 0400-11-01-.04(2)(k)4, sharps must be packaged in puncture-proof containers before landfilling, cultures and stocks must be treated first, and bulk blood and body fluids and recognizable body parts may not be landfilled at all.

• Special waste approval. Untreated medical waste can go to a Tennessee permitted processing or disposal facility only if the facility's permit allows it or TDEC has issued a Special Waste Approval. EnviCare hauls Tennessee waste to a permitted treatment facility in Georgia, so our clients don't need a Tennessee Special Waste Approval for disposal.

• Facility waste policies. Commission standards for licensed facility types require written infectious waste policies, segregation at the point of generation, sharps in sealed, leakproof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers, clearly identified containers, and storage that protects waste from animals, weather and unauthorized access.

• Off-site contracts and notice. Those standards require off-site transport to be covered by a written contract, and EnviCare's service agreement serves as that contract. Because your waste is treated in Georgia, licensed facilities should notify Georgia's public health agencies in writing that the treatment facility is being used.

• Hazardous pharmaceuticals. Tennessee has adopted EPA's Subpart P rules for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals (effective April 11, 2022), including the ban on flushing them down the drain.

Tennessee doesn't issue a separate permit or registration for medical waste transporters. Its solid waste permits cover facilities that store, process or dispose of waste. Tennessee doesn't prescribe a medical waste manifest either, but every pickup comes with an electronic manifest that lists the package count, the treatment facility's name, address and phone number, and the shipment date.

OSHA and HIPAA Training and Plans

On top of state rules, inspectors usually ask for four documents first. EnviCare's compliance platform covers HIPAA risk analysis and policies, OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens training and an Exposure Control Plan, OSHA Hazard Communication training and a written plan, and a biomedical waste plan, all tracked in one dashboard.

This section is a summary, not legal advice. Confirm your facility's obligations with TDEC and the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission.

How Medical Waste Pickup Works

1. Call or request a quote. Tell our Client Care Team what you generate, how much, and where.

2. Get the right containers. We set you up with biohazard boxes or reusable containers, reusable or disposable sharps containers, pharmaceutical and trace-chemo containers, and shredding bins as needed.

3. Choose your schedule. Weekly, every other week, monthly or on call, set to your volume.

4. We pick up and document. Our drivers collect your sealed containers, and you get an electronic manifest after every pickup. High-volume sites and large cleanouts get tractor-trailer capacity.

5. Treatment and records. Your waste goes to a permitted treatment facility in Georgia, and your manifests and certificates of destruction are available whenever you need them.

Tennessee Cities We Serve

EnviCare serves Tennessee statewide, from Memphis to the Tri-Cities, including:

• Memphis area - Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett and Millington

• West Tennessee - Jackson, Dyersburg, Union City, Martin and Paris

• Nashville metro - Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Hendersonville, Gallatin and Lebanon

• Middle Tennessee - Clarksville, Columbia, Dickson, Cookeville, Tullahoma, Shelbyville and McMinnville

• Chattanooga area - Chattanooga, Cleveland and Athens

• Knoxville area - Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Sevierville and Crossville

• Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee - Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Greeneville and Morristown

Tennessee Medical Waste FAQ

Do you serve all of Tennessee?

Yes. EnviCare serves Tennessee statewide, from Memphis and West Tennessee through Nashville and Middle Tennessee to Chattanooga, Knoxville and the Tri-Cities. We also have a local CareExchange in Nashville.

Who regulates medical waste in Tennessee?

TDEC regulates non-hazardous medical waste as a special waste under Rule Chapter 0400-11-01, through its Division of Land Protection (formerly the Division of Solid Waste Management). The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission sets waste standards for licensed facilities, and OSHA and the U.S. Department of Transportation also have requirements.

Does Tennessee require medical waste transporters to be permitted?

Tennessee doesn't issue a separate medical waste transporter permit or registration. Its solid waste permits apply to facilities that store, process or dispose of waste. EnviCare hauls Tennessee waste to a permitted treatment facility in Georgia, so you don't need a Tennessee Special Waste Approval for disposal.

Does Tennessee require a medical waste manifest?

Tennessee's solid waste rules don't prescribe a manifest form for non-hazardous medical waste. EnviCare's electronic manifest for every pickup lists the package count, the treatment facility's name, address and phone number, and the shipment date.

Can medical waste go to a regular landfill in Tennessee?

Only after the right handling. Sharps must be in puncture-proof containers, cultures and stocks must be treated first, and bulk blood and body fluids and recognizable body parts can't be landfilled at all.

We have locations in Georgia or North Carolina too. Can one company handle all of them?

Yes. EnviCare serves Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana statewide, plus North Florida, so multi-state groups can use one provider.

Schedule Medical Waste Pickup in Tennessee

Get dependable pickup and one point of contact from Memphis to Bristol. Call EnviCare at 888-697-6342, email care@envicare.net, or request a quote online.

Also serving: Georgia · Mississippi · North Florida · North Carolina · Alabama · South Carolina · Louisiana