Decontamination Services

Biohazards and other materials exposed to infectious agents need professional decontamination to avoid the spread of dangerous pathogens. WM offers on- site and off-site decontamination services and technology that can help protect the health and safety of your employees, visitors and customers.

For on-site decontamination, WM offers autoclaves, which can be installed at your location and conveniently operated by your own facility personnel. Autoclaves use high- temperature, high pressure steam to kill bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Your personnel loosely place the contaminated material in special bags, place the bags inside the autoclave chamber, seal the door and set the time and temperature.

Materials that can be autoclaved include:

  • Glass
  • Polypropylene
  • Latex or vinyl
  • Paper
  • Plastic pipette tips and culture plates
  • Metals
  • Plant material

We offer autoclaves in a variety of sizes. They are economical to buy or lease, and take only a few hours of training to operate. The decontamination process usually takes between 60 and 90 minutes. Once the process is completed, the autoclaved materials are virtually 100 percent sterile.

For off-site decontamination and destruction of biohazards, WM offers incineration services at sites throughout the United States. All waste-to-energy incinerators utilized operate at extremely high temperatures, ensuring the total sterilization of your contaminated materials. We can provide a certificate of destruction to document the incineration upon request.