Method of collecting medical waste in a collection device using a disposable manifold assembly having an outlet valve to reduce leakage

A method of collecting medical waste using a medical waste collection device, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a disposable manifold assembly including;
• a manifold housing having an inlet port and an outlet port spaced from the inlet port to establish a fluid path therebetween,
• a filter disposed in the manifold housing along the fluid path for filtering the medical waste, and
• an outlet valve disposed at the outlet port with the outlet valve being movable between a normally closed position and an open position;
• disposing the manifold assembly in the medical waste collection device;
• applying a predetermined vacuum pressure to the outlet valve after disposing the manifold assembly in the medical waste collection device to create a pressure differential across the outlet valve to move the outlet valve from the normally closed position to the open position and to move the medical waste through the inlet port, along the fluid path inside the manifold housing, through the filter, and out of the manifold assembly through the outlet port, into the medical waste collection device;
• removing the predetermined vacuum pressure applied to the outlet valve to allow the outlet valve to move from the open position back to the normally closed position to retain the medical waste within the manifold assembly;
• and
• removing the manifold assembly from the medical waste collection device with portions of the medical waste retained within the manifold assembly by the outlet valve being in the normally closed position to reduce leakage of the medical waste from the manifold assembly out through the outlet port.