Insights

Dec 15, 2025 _ insights

Trash Talk: Strategic Planning & Medical Waste Regulations

Health systems and design teams navigate complex and often ambiguous regulations around the handling, treatment, and disposal of regulated medical waste. When interpretations of these codes differ among project stakeholders, the result can jeopardize facility accreditation, licensure, and overall project success. Our recent presentation, at the Midwest Healthcare Engineering Conference, explored how early, coordinated discussions can prevent costly misunderstandings and design delays.

A recent critical-access hospital project revealed how misalignment between operational intentions, regulatory requirements, and physical space planning can lead to challenges late in design. Differing interpretations by the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) created months of correspondence before compliance was achieved. This example highlights the importance of aligning medical waste processes with design decisions from the outset to avoid regulatory setbacks.

Drawing from project experience and collaboration with AHJs and state health departments, we shared practical strategies to improve communication, clarify regulatory intent, and integrate operational policy into design. This session shared insights into medical waste classifications, code interpretation, and best practices for ensuring that healthcare environments meet both clinical and regulatory expectations.

See the full presentation here.

Learn more about our work with critical-access care here.

See more of our healthcare work here.

man with glassesNoah Gaither, EDAC, is a medical planner at GBBN who implements evidence-based design strategies and research pursuing mutually beneficial healthcare spaces. An emerging Academy of Architecture for Health designer, Noah has knowledge spanning a wide range of healthcare settings, their primary drivers, market trends, and wellness strategies. With passion for the study of environmental psychology, his designs strive to empower by giving agency and methods to rejuvenate for all scales, for all people.

Amy Mees, NCIDQ, EDAC is a principal and medical planner at GBBN. She excels at surfacing client goals and creating spaces and environments that surpass expectations and further the healing process. With over 30 years of experience in healthcare design and medical planning, Amy’s work has touched the lives of countless patients, families, and practitioners.