By K. Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Environmentalists are hailing the St. Louis Board of Aldermen's decision Friday to give preliminary approval to a bill that would ban the incineration of medical waste in the city.
The measure requires the Stericycle Company to shut down its incinerator in north St. Louis and process the waste through environmentally safer alternatives. One such method is autoclaving, or steam treating the waste for later disposal at a landfill.
Spokesman Don Fitz with the Gateway Green Alliance says unlike incineration, autoclaving does not cause the release of toxic substances.
At air time, Stericycle could not be reached for comment. Final passage of the bill is expected next week.