Yes.

Reworld, which applied for a permit modification in order to burn untreated regulated medical waste at their Tulsa plant in March 2025, was found to be in violation of state environmental laws in New York, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, and faced civil penalties and lawsuits in other states including California and Indiana.

Reworld faced air quality and emission violations in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and California, and permit violations related to the handling of waste in New York and Indiana, resulting in payments totalling more than $1 million.

Reworld Tulsa’s permit modification would allow it to burn up to 40,000 tons of medical waste per year. Medical waste would be limited to non-hazardous regulated medical waste, including surgical waste, sharp objects, renal dialysis waste, and expired vaccines.

Though Reworld states that burning medical waste is safe, locals’ concerns over health seem substantiated by at least one study, which found negative effects on human health and the environment.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.

Sources

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