How to dispose of the HEPA filter

It really depends on where you live and the state/local laws, if any depending on what country you are in. The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard states "equipment which may be contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials....shall be decontaminated as necessary".

In a HEPA filter is exposed only to air, it may be treated as as non-regulated waste and can be bagged and disposed of in normal trash. A HEPA filter potentially contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials may require decontamination as necessary (such as ETO or via Hydrogen Peroxide (Sterrad) for example) and disposed of in normal trash. In a few states, there may be regulations that prohibit non-regulated disposal of ANY perceived medical waste. So even if a HEPA filter is decontaminated via ETO or Hydrogen Peroxide methods, the HEPA filter may still be incinerated or packaged as regulated medical waste.

At the hospitals I've been associated with, the Neptune filters were disposed of as infectious waste (yellow bag) items - not red bag. This is just an opinion and I would check with your local infection control officer for guidance.

- Cipher