Dive Brief:

• A new nonprofit trade group called the Medical Waste Management Association (MWMA) has been formed to help address shared goals of the growing biohazard and medical waste disposal industry.
• MWMA's mission is to advocate for safe disposal practices, provide educational resources, and work on behalf of organizations involved in the field. Healthcare professionals that are responsible for medical waste disposal and compliance are also welcome to join.
• The new association is based in Phoenix, AZ and will hold its first conference on March 22-24 in Las Vegas next year.

Dive Insight:

Medical waste management is a rapidly growing field and will only become more important in the future as populations grow and age around the world. The medical waste market is now valued to be more than $10 billion and is projected to surpass $16 billion by 2022 according to one recent report. Companies such as ACT Environmental Services and Stericycle have announced new expansions and others have been very active as well.

"Up to now, the medical waste disposal industry has not had a strong independent trade organization to promote its interests," Rob Marshall, owner of San Antonio-based Medsharps and MWMA president, said in a statement. "There are hundreds of companies across the United States, and far more around the world, providing this critical service that will benefit from having a strong, unifying voice."

While MWMA will initially be working on outreach, it plans to focus on both current and emerging industry challenges. One example is the pending classification of human biological waste as protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. More information about membership can be found on the MWMA website.