It's a cringe issue- yet a very serious one.
"Body parts, organs, you know, just vials of blood. It's just - it's gross."
That's what former state lawmaker and current Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham says is not being disposed of properly and is ending up in county recycling facilities.
"Generators like hospitals, surgical centers that, you know, have that type of waste are supposed to segregate the waste from their general trash and send it to facilities that are specifically licensed to manage that infectious waste," Bingham explains.
She says a bill at the capitol would put more teeth into a current state law by allowing for unannounced audits of medical facility waste practices, and increase fines for offenders.
That could include the possibility of losing their license after a third violation.
It follows numerous cases statewide where things like body parts, organs and blood are ending up in county recycling facilities, says Bigham who spoke to WCCO's Adam Carter on Thursday.
"This is traumatic to our employees and and it's a safety issue from bloodborne pathogens," Bigham adds. "And there really is, honestly, no excuse for it. There is a law already. It's just we need compliance and we need enforcement."
Bigham says it is continuing to happen, and the latest case of medical waste being discovered in Washington County was just this Wednesday.
While medical waste laws already exist, a new proposal would strengthen offences
