REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 19, 2026
FROM
ANDREW GOLDFRACH, ARMC Chief Executive Officer, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with MediWaste Disposal, LLC for Medical/Hazardous Waste Management Disposal Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with MediWaste Disposal, LLC, including non-standard terms, for medical/hazardous waste management disposal services in the not to exceed amount of $1,000,000, for the term of May 19, 2026 through May 18, 2027.
(Presenter: Andrew Goldfrach, ARMC Chief Executive Officer, 580-6150)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of $1,000,000 is funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurances, and other departmental revenue. Funding sources may change in the future pending any legislative activity related to the repeal and/or replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) 2025-26 budget and will be included in 2026-27 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ARMC requires medical/hazardous waste disposal services for regulated and pharmaceutical waste. Regulated medical waste disposal is the removal of waste that may be contaminated by blood, body fluids, or other infectious materials. Pharmaceutical waste disposal entails the disposal of controlled substances in containers that are pre-loaded with deactivating agent deterrents, which permanently alter the substance’s chemical condition rendering the substance unavailable and unusable; including pills, patches, tablets and IV solutions. The deactivating agent also works as a precautionary measure deterring the improbable occurrence of something attempting to ingest the liquid. The hazardous waste disposal services contract (contract) with MediWaste Disposal, LLC (MediWaste) will ensure that waste that is ignitable, reactive corrosive, and toxic will be safely collected and removed.
While the parties negotiated certain contract terms to County standards, MediWaste would not agree to all County standard terms. The non-standard and missing terms include the following:
1. MediWaste’s Environmental Liability Insurance is $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate with an Excess Liability Insurance of $4,000,000.
• The County standard contract requires contractors to carry appropriate insurance at limits and under conditions determined by the County’s Risk Management Department. The County requires Environmental Liability Insurance with a combined single limit of not less than $5,000,000 per claim or occurrence and a separate aggregate for the contract project.
• Potential Impact: Accepting lower-than-required environmental liability coverage exposes the County to increased financial risk if a claim exceeds the MediWaste’s insurance limits or falls outside policy coverage.
ARMC recommends approval of the contract with MediWaste as it will enable ARMC to provide for the safety, health and social services needs of County residents through proper disposal of ignitable, reactive corrosive, and toxic waste.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing supports this non-competitive procurement based on specialized credentials, expertise, and training. ARMC requires specialized medical and hazardous waste disposal services due to the type of waste and vast quantity produced by a hospital. MediWaste is able to collect and dispose of pharmaceutical waste, regulated medical waste, hazardous waste and controlled substance waste up to six times per week. MediWaste is a local vendor and is able to enter into a short-term agreement in a timely manner to continue uninterrupted government mandated services. ARMC will issue a Request for Proposals for these services prior to the expiration of the recommended contract.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Daniella Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 17, 2026; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on April 20, 2026; Purchasing (Veronica Pedace, Buyer III, 387-2464) on April 22, 2026; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Finance and Budget Officer, 580-3165) on April 27, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on April 27, 2026.