Q. How large may a trash receptacle (can) be if it is in a general patient/resident/client care area? How many cans can be present in an unprotected area (out on the floor)?
A. A soiled linen or trash receptacle may not exceed 32 gallons in volume. There are two ways to think about how many individual receptacles may be present out on the floor:
No more than 0.5 gallons per square foot. A normal patient/resident/client room is 120 square feet, so the amount of trash should be no more than 60 gallons. Would two full 32-gallon trash cans be too much? Yes, by 4 gallons.
No more than 32 gallons may be located in a room of 64 square feet (8 by 8 feet). That is a lot of trash in a small room. So, are 50 gallon cans (barrels) out of the question? Permanently on the nursing floor; yes, but they may be used and stored in a Hazard Location when not attended.
May the janitorial staff push around a 200 gallon cart and pick up trash? Yes, if attended. When not attended, the 200 gallon cart is stored in the trash collection room, provided the trash collection room is a Hazard Location, so it is either protected with one-hour construction, or sprinkled and constructed to limit the transfer of smoke. There is no limit on the size of the containers or the amount of trash in this room.
Note also that the container UL rating and composition requirements have been removed.