Medical waste disposal container

Abstract

A medical waste disposal system for contaminated products to be disposed having a hollow, disposal container and a housing enclosure which is engageable with and covers the container. The housing enclosure has an opening and a tumbler which is pivotally mounted to prevent access to the interior of the housing enclosure when a contaminated product is being deposited into the interior of the disposal container. In one embodiment, upon dropping waste into the opening of the housing enclosure, the tumbler rotates to simultaneously close the upper opening in the housing enclosure and open a lower opening which allows the waste to drop into the disposal container. After the waste has dropped, the tumbler, which is weighted, returns to its original position. When the disposal container reaches full capacity, the tumbler is blocked by the medical waste in the disposal container thereby preventing rotation to the open position. In an additional embodiment, a tumbler having an angled tip portion is provided which forms a lower passage to permit passage of waste while simultaneously blocking the accessibility beyond the interior of the housing enclosure without the need to fully rotate the tumbler to a closed position. The housing enclosure is also provided with a portion having a squared or sloping contour to prevent sharps from passing or being ejected back through the opening of the container. The housing enclosure also includes a lid having a lock securely closing the medical waste disposal system for final disposal.