In the hospital in which I work, we recently had a revision of our Infection Control Policies for Waste Management which includes breastmilk as a body fluid with potential for transmission of blood borne pathogens as well as any equipment that comes in contact with breastmilk is now considered medical waste that needs to be disposed of into a biohazardous bag. It also states that any body fluid (including breastmilk) can not be disposed of into a regular handwashing sink. The question I raise is: Can breastpump equipment be washed over a handwashing sink or can the water that is used to wash the pump equipment be poured into a handwashing sink? Does anyone have experience with this and what is the policy in your institution?

Thank you,
Shirley Hamill

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