"Often a misnomer of sorts, not all medical waste is in fact infectious. The U.S. EPA estimates that only 15 percent of the medical waste stream is potentially infectious. The rest of the items are typically office or household wastes such as paper, cardboard and plastic.
Items that are considered infectious waste and have the ability to cause human and environmental harm can include the following:
• Bodily fluid-soaked bandages
• Microbial culture dishes and other glassware
• Discarded surgical gloves and other personal protective equipment
• Discarded surgical instruments
• Discarded needles used to give shots or draw blood
Microbial cultures, stocks and swabs used to inoculate cultures"