Hazardous waste disposal method and drum assembly

A waste drum assembly for the collection, shipping and disposal of medical waste comprising:

• a) a drum body having an interior and a tubular side wall having an upper end and being of predetermined length;
• a closed bottom and an open top, the top having a top edge defining in plan, a predetermined shaped peripheral outline;
• b) a removable top having a peripheral outline generally approximating the outline of the top edge and being mounted on the top of the drum body to cooperate in closing the drum body top, the removable top having an access opening therein having previously provided access to the interior of the drum body;
• c) a sealing member having previously closed the access opening in the removable top and having previously been shiftable from a closed position at which it closes the access opening and an open position at which it opened the access opening, the sealing member having been part of a flap hingedly connected to the removable top and being disposed in the interior of the drum body;
• d) an insert having a peripheral outline generally approximating the outline of the top edge and being mounted on the top of the drum body and interposed between the removable top and the top edge and held in place by the removable top for closing the top of the drum body and the interior of the drum body;
• e) an open top bag having an upper peripheral portion disposed within the interior of the drum body and possessing a length longer than the length of the drum body side wall so that the upper peripheral portion of the bag had previously been draped over the top edge and upper end of the drum body side wall to permit medical waste to be placed therein through the access opening when the sealing member was in the open position, medical waste and the sealing member being in the bag, the upper peripheral portion of the bag being tied shut;
• whereby the waste drum assembly with contained medical waste in the tied shut bag in the drum body interior closed by the insert held in place by the removable top may be shipped for disposal.

A method of collecting medical waste comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a waste drum assembly comprising:
• i) a drum body having an interior and a tubular side wall having an upper end and being of predetermined length, a closed bottom and an open top, the top having a top edge defining in plan, a predetermined shaped peripheral outline;
• ii) an open top bag having an upper peripheral portion disposed within the interior of the drum body and possessing a length longer than the length of the drum body side wall so that the upper peripheral portion of the bag is draped over the top edge and upper end of the drum body side wall;
• iii) a removable top having a peripheral outline generally approximating the outline of the top edge and being removably mounted on the top of the drum body to close the drum body top, the removable top having an access opening therein for providing access to the interior of the drum and the bag therein;
• iv) a sealing member on the removable top closing the access opening in the removable top and being shiftable from a closed position at which it closes the access opening and an upper position at which it opens the access opening;
• b) shifting the sealing member to its open position and placing the medical waste in the bag through the access opening;
• c) substantially filling the bag with medical waste;
• d) removing the removable top;
• e) undraping the upper peripheral portion of the bag from the upper end of the drum body side wall and top edge;
• f) tying the upper peripheral portion of the bag to tie shut the bag and contain the medical waste therein wherein the sealing member is removed from the removable top and placed in the bag before tying the upper peripheral portion thereof;
• g) placing on the top edge an insert having a peripheral outline generally approximating the outline of the top edge to close off the interior of the drum body with the tied bag with medical waste therein;
• h) placing the removable top on top of the drum body and over the insert to hold the insert in place and to cooperate in closing the drum body;
• i) whereby the waste drum assembly with contained medical waste in the tied shut bag in the drum body interior closed by the insert held in place by the removable top may be shipped for disposal.