Curtis Bay Energy Incinerator Closure: What Baltimore and Mid-Atlantic Healthcare Facilities Need to Know
On October 1, 2026, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland Department of the Environment announced an agreement that will end incineration at the Curtis Bay Energy medical waste facility in South Baltimore. The company is ceasing incineration services, will continue operating the facility as a waste transfer station, and must stop all incineration within 90 days after the State issues its modified permit.
If your facility relies on incineration, now is the time to confirm where your waste will go next.
Waste Streams Most Affected
Most red bag waste and sharps can be autoclaved. These streams generally must be incinerated:
- Pathological specimens in spent formalin
- Trace chemotherapy waste
- Pathological waste, including large anatomical waste such as limbs
- Research animal carcasses, including large carcasses
- Non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste
Hospitals, surgery centers, labs, universities, veterinary practices and research facilities across Baltimore, Maryland, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania may be affected.
Be Prepared: What You Can Do Now
- Know your incineration-only waste streams. Identify which of your streams require incineration and roughly how much you generate.
- Ask your provider where your waste is going after the transition, stream by stream.
- Review your alternatives now so you can choose the right long-term solution for each waste stream.
How ASMAI Can Help
ASMAI is a woman-owned medical waste company based in Newark, Delaware, serving the Mid-Atlantic. We can pick up every waste stream listed above, plus regulated medical waste, sharps and controlled substances.
Since the closure was announced, ASMAI has already moved affected customers’ pathological waste and research animal carcasses to new permitted disposal outlets. We have permitted disposal options for pathological waste, specimens in spent formalin and research animal carcasses. Contact us to review the right solution for your facility.
- Autoclave first: regulated medical waste is treated by autoclave in Baltimore, then sent to waste-to-energy rather than a landfill.
- Permitted incineration for streams that require it, including trace chemo and pharmaceutical waste.
- Our own trucks and drivers. We are a direct service provider throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Hazardous waste services too, so one provider can handle your medical, pharmaceutical and hazardous waste streams.
- Category A infectious waste transportation. ASMAI holds party status to U.S. DOT Special Permit DOT-SP 16279 for transporting Category A waste.
Compliance You Can Count On
Every shipment goes only to properly permitted facilities, with full documentation from pickup to final destruction. That means one less compliance worry for you, and safe, responsible handling for our neighbors in Baltimore and across the region.
Contact us for a quote or call 302-533-6858 today.
