Overview
- A waste facility in Newport rejected a load from Lakeview Memorial that contained liquid blood and blood‑contaminated items, prompting the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to open an investigation.
- The MPCA found the hospital failed to separate, label, and store untreated infectious waste as state rules require, and it imposed a $15,862 penalty that the hospital accepted.
- An MPCA contractor physically separated the rejected material and routed it to a facility licensed to handle infectious waste, and no public‑health incidents were reported in the agency’s account.
- HealthPartners, which operates Lakeview, told regulators it has submitted a detailed prevention plan and will change handling procedures to ensure infectious waste is properly managed.
- The case is part of a broader MPCA enforcement program that has issued more than 8,400 actions totaling over $24 million since 2019, and it highlights risks faced by waste‑sorting workers who have encountered infectious material at regional facilities.