Stericycle Opens State-of-the-Art Regulated Medical Waste Incineration Facility in Nevada

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. – October 25, 2024 – Today, Stericycle, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRCL), a leading provider of regulated medical waste management and secure information destruction solutions, unveiled its latest state-of-the-art Hospital, Medical and Infectious Waste Incinerator (HMIWI) facility located at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center in McCarran, Nevada. The 110,000-square foot facility will help address the region’s growing need for medical waste management, driven largely by increased demand and evolving federal, state and local regulations for proper pharmaceutical and medical waste disposal.

Stericycle invested nearly $110 million to construct and equip the best-in-class facility with innovative systems and engineering advancements that make it possible to safely treat potentially infectious materials and safely dispose of unwanted medications – keeping them out of waterways and medicine cabinets.  The site is also designated as a Shred-it^® bailing facility to support a circular paper economy through the company’s suite of shredding services, which are designed to protect private information.

“Leveraging decades of experience, our McCarran facility was purposefully designed to protect public health and the environment now and into the future and will serve as a blueprint for potential future operations,” said Cindy J. Miller, president and chief executive officer at Stericycle.  “As a trusted and essential partner to hospitals and healthcare providers, this is a much-needed resource to keep our communities safe and healthy.”

The McCarran facility – like all Stericycle incineration facilities – will operate under strict state and federal emissions standards for HMIWIs, which are stricter standards than those imposed on hazardous and municipal waste incinerators.  The facility was outfitted with the best available air pollution control system to protect employees and the community as well as auxiliary systems to ensure uninterruptible services during power outages.

Reducing Stericycle’s dependency on water and natural gas was also an important goal.  The company created a plant process water reuse system that will result in no industrial wastewater discharge from the facility, and the facility is using reclaimed water with onsite treatment.  Stericycle also added waste-to-energy technology, which will generate steam energy from the waste treatment process that will be used to provide energy to heat water for container washers versus using natural gas.        

“Through our McCarran facility, we are adding additional resilience to our industry-leading network across North America while supporting our own sustainability and safety goals,” commented Jim Ferguson, senior vice president of engineering at Stericycle.  “We have set a new standard for the future of the regulated medical waste industry by going beyond today’s air and water standards to reduce our impact on the environment.  The facility is a true investment in our team members, the community and the local economy.”

Throughout construction of the facility, more than 300 local contractors and tradespeople were employed. Some of those contractors and tradespeople will continue to support the ongoing maintenance of the facility. Stericycle will also employ approximately 80 people in the local community, further capitalizing on the local talent pool.  In partnership with the American Wild Horse Conservation, all team members will be properly trained on how to best protect and interact with horses and other wildlife that live in the area.

Last year, Stericycle treated 1.3 billion pounds of medical waste and shredded and recycled 906 million pounds of paper globally, in addition to safely disposing of approximately 55 million pounds of expired medications.  Please visit the Stericycle website for more information about the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability.