Sharps Medical Waste Services

What Sharps Medical Waste Services does

Sharps Medical Waste Services is a privately held, Houston, Texas-based regulated medical waste management company founded in 1993 that provides collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal services for sharps, regulated medical waste, pharmaceutical waste, pathological and chemotherapeutic waste, hazardous/RCRA waste, controlled substances, universal waste, and municipal solid waste. The company serves acute healthcare providers (hospitals and large health systems including Children's National, MedStar, Geisinger, Sentara, Penn State Health, and Ochsner), non-acute healthcare generators (dentists, pharmacies, veterinarians, ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis/oncology centers, medspas, pharmaceutical manufacturers), and non-healthcare generators (government/military, educational institutions, airports/seaports, death care facilities, retail, and residential customers) on a nationwide basis across the United States. Service delivery is supported by two proprietary digital platforms, SharpsTracer (end-to-end waste tracking and audit documentation) and ComplianceTrac (OSHA-aligned online training and certification), as well as a network of MedSafe drug-collection kiosks placed in pharmacies and a dedicated e-commerce supply storefront at store.sharpsinc.com.

The business operates across multiple revenue streams: recurring subscription-based route pickup services for healthcare facilities, one-time and repeat-purchase mailback disposal kits (with a published Price Match Guarantee), subscription-based MedSafe kiosk and ComplianceTrac training services, and unit-priced hardware sales of containers, IV poles, spill kits, and accessories through the online store. Distribution is anchored by a direct enterprise field-sales team (sales line 800.772.5657) targeting large IDN/GPO/ACO customers, an inside-sales motion for SMB and mid-market accounts, and the e-commerce and pharmacy-kiosk channels for long-tail and consumer demand. Leadership is headed by CEO Kerry Jones, with recently appointed COO David Sanborn (effective January 26, 2026) overseeing nationwide operations and VP of EHS Mark Frick (appointed December 2025) overseeing regulatory compliance.

The company's competitive positioning rests on three decades of regulatory expertise in OSHA, EPA, DOT, DEA, and HIPAA-controlled waste streams; the integration of digital tracking and compliance training into customer workflows; and a national service footprint that allows it to serve multi-site health systems under a single contract. Recent product extensions into sustainable device reclamation, residential pharmaceutical take-back envelopes, and pharmacy-based medication collection indicate an intent to broaden both the addressable customer base and the per-customer revenue mix beyond traditional regulated medical waste pickup.

Name

Sharps Medical Waste Services

Legal name

Sharps Medical Waste Services

Website

https://sharpsmws.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sharps Medical Waste Services is a privately held Houston-based regulated medical waste management provider serving healthcare and non-healthcare customers nationwide. Founded in 1993, it offers sharps, pharmaceutical, hazardous, and mailback waste disposal supported by digital tracking and compliance-training platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Waste Management Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Biohazardous Waste Management (RMW, Sharps, Pathological) (EUAIAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sharps Management (Containers, Collection, Treatment) (BPALAGAD), Sharps Safety, Needlestick Prevention & Disposal (Safety Devices, Sharps Containers) (HLAHANAH), Pharmaceutical & Controlled Substance Waste Management (DEA-compliant, Take-back) (EUAIAFAF), Medical Waste Management & Biohazard Disposal Systems (Regulated Waste, Liners, Containers) (HLAHANAI), Medical & Biohazardous Waste Support (On-site Regulated Waste Staging) (BPABALAH)

Keywords

• Medical waste disposal
• Regulated waste management
• Sharps disposal services
• Pharmaceutical waste solutions
• Compliance training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Route Pickup Services: Scheduled pickup services for regulated medical waste, sharps, pharmaceutical waste, chemotherapy waste, and other healthcare waste streams from healthcare facilities. Recurring service model with regular pickup schedules tailored to facility waste volumes.
2. Mailback Programs: Prepaid mailback kits and systems for sharps, pharmaceutical waste, and medication disposal. Customers purchase containers and return when full using prepaid shipping. One-time purchase model with recurring purchase behavior.
3. Medical Waste Supply Sales: Sale of medical waste containers, sharps containers, IV poles, spill kits, and related supplies through online store (store.sharpsinc.com). Unit-based pricing for containers and accessories.
4. MedSafe Kiosk Services: MedSafe drug collection kiosk placement and service for pharmacies and healthcare facilities enabling ongoing medication collection and disposal.
5. Compliance Training Services: Online OSHA compliance and safety training management system (ComplianceTrac) providing regulatory-required training videos and certification documentation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sharps Medical Waste Services provides comprehensive regulated medical waste management services to healthcare facilities and other generators across the United States. Its offerings include route-based collection and disposal for sharps, regulated medical waste, pharmaceutical waste, pathological and chemotherapy waste, hazardous/RCRA waste, controlled substances, universal waste, and municipal solid waste, complemented by USPS/UPS-authorized mailback disposal kits, MedSafe drug collection kiosks placed in pharmacies, document shredding, sustainable device reclamation, and online OSHA compliance training through ComplianceTrac. The company supports operations with SharpsTracer, a digital tracking system providing end-to-end documentation from pickup through treatment and certification of destruction.

Product overview

Sharps Medical Waste Services operates as an integrated service provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of regulated medical waste management solutions. The core offering consists of eight primary waste disposal services (Sharps Management, Regulated Medical Waste Disposal, Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal, Pathological & Chemo Waste Disposal, Hazardous & RCRA Waste Disposal, Controlled Substance Waste Disposal, Universal Waste Disposal, and Municipal Waste Disposal) complemented by five specialty solutions (Mailback Solutions, MedSafe Kiosks, Document Shredding, Sustainable Device Reclamation, and Compliance & Training). The company supports its service delivery with two digital platforms: SharpsTracer for waste tracking and documentation, and ComplianceTrac for training and compliance management. A separate e-commerce platform (Medical Waste Supply Store) sells containers, supplies, and related products including the Pitch-It IV Pole, TakeAway Medication Recovery Envelopes, and Dental Amalgam Recycling Systems. Services scale from single-provider clinics using mailback options to multi-site healthcare networks requiring scheduled route pickups, with the company claiming approximately 25% average cost savings for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SharpsTracer: Digital tracking tool for documentation and audits, providing end-to-end visibility from pickup through treatment.
• ComplianceTrac
• MedSafe
• Sharps Mailback Solutions
• TakeAway Medication Recovery System

Products and services

• Sharps Management Sharps disposal services for healthcare facilities and commercial generators of all sizes, providing collection containers and pickup services for needles, syringes, and other sharp medical instruments.
• Regulated Medical Waste Disposal Comprehensive medical waste management services for sharps and biohazardous waste, including collection, transportation, treatment, and compliant disposal.
• Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Complete medication disposal solutions for healthcare, long-term care facilities, and ultimate users, ensuring DEA-compliant and environmentally responsible disposal of unused medications.
• Pathological & Chemo Waste Disposal Destruction services for pathological waste and chemotherapeutic materials as required by state regulations, ensuring safe handling of potentially hazardous biological and cytotoxic materials.
• Hazardous & RCRA Waste Disposal Assessment and disposal services for hazardous waste meeting RCRA definitions of P-listed, F-listed, or U-listed materials, including proper classification and compliant treatment.
• Controlled Substance Waste Disposal DEA-compliant disposal services for controlled substances that prevent diversion while meeting federal and state regulatory requirements for Schedule I-V medications.
• Universal Waste Disposal Collection and recycling services for universal wastes including batteries, light bulbs, mercury-containing devices, and other widely generated hazardous wastes.
• Municipal Solid Waste Disposal General solid waste management services to reduce costs, ensure compliance, and streamline waste handling for non-regulated waste streams.
• Sharps Mailback Solutions Medical waste mailback programs providing safe, compliant, and convenient disposal of sharps and regulated medical waste through prepaid shipping containers returned when full, available in sizes from 1 quart to 3 gallons.
• MedSafe Drug Collection Kiosk Pharmacy-based medication collection kiosk for easy disposal of unused and expired medications, providing a convenient public-facing collection solution including controlled substances.
• Document Shredding Secure document destruction and shredding services for confidential materials, ensuring HIPAA-compliant handling of documents containing PII and PHI.
• Compliance & Training Online OSHA compliance and safety training management system that provides training videos, documentation, and certification tracking for healthcare staff, accessible 24/7 with instant completion certificates.
• Medical Waste Supply Store Online store offering medical waste containers, sharps containers, IV poles, mailback systems, and related supplies for healthcare waste management, with unit-based pricing and multipack options.
• Sustainable Device Reclamation Program Program for reclaiming and responsibly managing medical devices and equipment at end of life, supporting environmental sustainability goals.
• TakeAway Medication Recovery Envelope Mailback envelope system for safe residential disposal of unused medications, providing a convenient and compliant at-home medication disposal solution.
• Pitch-It IV Pole Sr. IV pole product for healthcare facility use, supporting medical equipment organization and patient care workflows.
• Dental Amalgam Recycling System Two-pail system for safe recycling of dental amalgam and related materials, including inner pail with silver foil bag for contaminated items and outer pail for lead foils and x-ray fixer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% average savings vs competitor solutions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services: Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services provides regulated medical waste and sharps disposal with mailback and route pickup across the Eastern U.S. It is a direct regional competitor in regulated medical waste collection, particularly competing for hospital and health system contracts.
• Stericycle: Stericycle is the dominant U.S. medical waste management company, providing sharps, RMW, pharmaceutical, and hazardous waste services to hospitals and healthcare systems. It is the most direct competitor to Sharps MWS in the enterprise healthcare waste segment and the primary benchmark for national service scale.
• Sharps Compliance (legacy SMED operations): Sharps Inc. operates the medical waste supply store and historical Sharps Compliance mailback businesses, sharing brand heritage and product overlap (SharpsTracer, ComplianceTrac, MedSafe) with Sharps Medical Waste Services. Closely related operating history and shared product platforms make it the most directly comparable peer.
• BioMedical Waste Solutions: BioMedical Waste Solutions is a regional medical waste hauler offering regulated medical waste, sharps, and pharmaceutical disposal services with mailback and route pickup options. It is a direct peer in the SMB and mid-market healthcare waste segment, particularly for mailback solutions.
• Daniels Sharpsmart: Daniels Sharpsmart provides reusable sharps and medical waste containment and disposal services to hospitals and healthcare facilities across North America. It directly competes with Sharps MWS in sharps management and RMW collection, with a particular focus on enterprise health systems.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Environmental Services: Heritage Environmental Services is one of the largest privately held hazardous waste management companies in North America, providing RCRA, pharmaceutical, and industrial waste treatment and disposal. It overlaps with Sharps MWS on pharmaceutical waste and hazardous waste handling for healthcare and life sciences customers.
• Republic Services: Republic Services is the second-largest U.S. solid waste company and offers medical waste handling through its Republic Services Medical Waste program. It competes with Sharps MWS primarily on larger hospital and IDN contracts as part of a broader waste portfolio including municipal solid waste, recycling, and hazardous waste.
• Veolia Environmental Services: Veolia operates hazardous waste treatment, recycling, and disposal facilities in North America and serves healthcare and pharmaceutical customers with regulated waste services. It is a broad incumbent competitor for pharmaceutical, controlled substance, and RCRA hazardous waste contracts.
• Waste Management (WM): Waste Management is the largest U.S. solid waste hauler and operates a healthcare/medical waste division via its WM Healthcare Solutions unit. It competes for larger hospital and health system contracts as part of a broader portfolio that includes municipal, commercial, and industrial waste services.
• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest North American provider of environmental, hazardous, and industrial waste services. It overlaps with Sharps MWS in RCRA hazardous waste, pharmaceutical waste, and controlled substance disposal for healthcare-adjacent customers, and competes for institutional and government contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SharpsMWS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharpsmws

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sharps Medical Waste Services