Colorado will be the third state to use ozone technology to dispose of medical waste after the city of Aurora approved the opening of Colorado Medical Waste Inc., at 3131 Oakland St.

“We are ecstatic to finally put this amazing technology to work for Colorado,” said Beverly Hanstrom, president of Colorado Medical Waste. “Ozone medical waste processing is the future and will replace antiquated technologies and processes of the past.”

Colorado is now one of only three states to use ozone, a natural, sanitizing gas, to completely sterilize byproducts of hospitals and medical research labs.

The ozone machine — OMW-1000 — also shreds waste and reduces its volume by 90 percent.

Right now, thousands of tons of bed sheets, gowns, syringes, used medical tools and vials of human waste are either steamed in a pressure chamber called an autoclave and then dumped whole into landfills, or incinerated.

“Our new ozone medical waste processor is more effective than steam to kill infectious pathogens and bacteria and is done without the consumption of natural resources,” Hanstrom said.

“A myriad of energy efficiencies are incorporated into the design of the (ozone) machine to make it the most environmental means of processing medical waste to date.”

For more information, visit coloradomedicalwaste.com or call 303-794-5716.