Dive Brief:

• The state of Louisiana established an agreement to prevent incinerated Ebola waste from being buried at the Lake Charles landfill.
• Attorney General Buddy Caldwell initially requested a temporary restraining order that thwarted the materials from entering the state for disposal. The ashes were incinerated by Veolia Environmental Services in Texas.
• Stipulations of the agreement are that the waste will not be transported or disposed of in Louisiana. It was agreed upon by all parties involved, including Mayor Caldwell, Veolia, and Chemical Waste Management, the operators of the hazardous waste site in Lake Charles.

Dive Insight:

At this point, there is no word on exactly where the Ebola ashes will be transported to for disposal.

Waste management firms have refused to haul medical waste that has been contaminated with the Ebola virus, leading to disposal issues at hospitals that treat Ebola patients. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had to step in to get a grasp on the situation, and negotiated a deal with Stericycle, a hazardous waste disposal firm that initially refused to handle the Ebola waste.