Life Safety (LS) (Nursing Care Center / Nursing Care Center)
Containers - Clean Waste
Publish | January 01, 0001
Are 96-gallon recycling containers allowed for clean waste use within a health care occupancy?
Recycling containers used for clean waste (e.g., bottles, cans, paper) pose a lower fire risk than trash containing grease, oil, or flammable liquids. Allowing the size of container used for recycling to increase will reduce the number of trash receptacles and hazardous storage areas required, which will reduce undue cost burden. In the 2012 LSC, the NFPA began allowing containers used solely for recycling clean waste or for patient records awaiting destruction outside a hazardous storage area to be a maximum capacity of 96-gallons. Accordingly, The Joint Commission permits CMS Categorical Waiver 13-58, item 7 Clean Waste & Patient Record Recycling Containers to increase the size of containers used solely for recycling clean waste or for patient records awaiting destruction when located outside of a hazardous storage area to be a maximum of 96-gallons, but only if in compliance with sections 18/19.7.5.7.2 of the 2012 LSC. These recycle containers for clean waste or patient records awaiting destruction are to be labeled with FM Approval Standard 6921, Containers for Combustible Waste. (see the Frequently Asked Question concerning proper invocation of a Categorical Waiver) [LS.02.01.70]
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