How should waste generated by a medicine warehouse (such as expired medicines and contaminated packaging) be handled lawfully and compliantly?

Waste generated by a medicine warehouse, particularly expired, damaged or contaminated medicines, is chemical waste. Its disposal must strictly comply with Environmental Protection Department requirements in Hong Kong; it must never be discarded as ordinary rubbish. First, the company must register with the Environmental Protection Department as a “chemical waste producer”. Second, all medicines to be destroyed and packaging materials contaminated by them must be collected in dedicated, leak-proof containers labelled “chemical waste”, and kept in a secure designated area, strictly segregated from released goods. Third, a licensed “chemical waste collector” must be engaged to collect and dispose of the waste. Both parties must complete and sign a Trip Ticket, the statutory tracking document for waste from generation to final disposal. All relevant disposal records, including the destruction contractor’s qualification documents and Trip Tickets, must be properly retained for at least 12 months.