(a) Special waste and liquid or sewage waste management.
  (1) Facilities shall comply with the requirements set forth by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in 30 TAC Chapter 326 (relating to Medical Waste Management).
  (2) All sewage and liquid wastes shall be disposed of in a municipal sewerage system or a septic tank system permitted by the TCEQ in accordance with 30 TAC Chapter 285 (relating to On-Site Sewage Facilities).
  (3) Facilities shall comply with the requirements set forth in 25 TAC Chapter 1, Subchapter K (relating to Definition, Treatment, and Disposition of Special Waste from Health Care-Related Facilities).
(b) Waste receptacles.
  (1) Waste receptacles shall be conveniently available in all toilet rooms, patient areas, staff work areas, and waiting rooms. Receptacles shall be routinely emptied of their contents at a central location into closed containers.
  (2) Waste receptacles shall be properly cleaned with soap and hot water, followed by treatment of inside surfaces of the receptacles with a germicidal agent.
  (3) All containers for other municipal solid waste shall be leak-resistant, have tight-fitting covers, and be rodent-proof.
  (4) Non-reusable containers shall be of suitable strength to minimize animal scavenging or rupture during collection operations.

Source Note: The provisions of this §509.59 adopted to be effective December 4, 2023, 48 TexReg 7064