Zoning board approves MedShred medical‑waste processing operation at 829 SE 20th St.

The City of Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a conditional use permit by a 6‑0 vote to allow a medical‑waste storage, processing and transport operation at 829 Southeast 20th Street. The applicant plans to operate the site as a transfer/processing station for medical waste collected from hospitals, clinics and other medical generators.

Frank Dunn, senior city planner, explained staff’s recommendation that the use is appropriate in the I‑2 industrial district and compatible with surrounding industrial properties. Dunn said the property is approximately four and a half acres, already contains a recycling operation and is located near railroad tracks south of Maury and east of Southeast 20th Street. Notices to nearby property owners were mailed on Sept. 9 and the applicant held the required neighborhood meeting.

Applicant representative Alex Benskin described how the company currently ships sealed, compliant containers to an out‑of‑state facility and would like to process material locally. Benskin summarized the proposed equipment and process: sealed containers would be inspected on arrival, palletized and processed in an enclosed “eco‑sterile” microwave system that shreds and heats the material and discharges it into a compactor for disposal or local recycling. As Benskin put it, “We would like to be able to do that here and not have to pay another guy.”

Board members and staff discussed site seclusion and access; a board member observed the site is located at a dead‑end area that serves salvage yards and related businesses, reducing drive‑by traffic. A member of the public asked whether the operation would receive liquids; Benskin said the majority of material is solid (gloves, linens, sharps) and that microwave systems capture and recycle liquids in a closed loop; federal rules require bulk liquid containers over 200 gallons to be solidified.

Dunn and the applicant noted additional approvals and permits will be needed outside the zoning decision: Metro Waste Authority acceptance for final disposal and any state or federal environmental permits, as applicable. Dunn told the board the zoning review pertains to land use; other environmental and disposal approvals are separate processes the applicant must pursue.

Staff noted two mailed responses: one in support and one unsure; no residents attended the public hearing to speak. The motion to approve the conditional use, subject to the recommended conditions of approval, carried 6‑0. Staff will issue the board’s written decision and monitor compliance; the zoning enforcement officer may request reconsideration if the use exhibits a pattern of violating conditions or creating nuisances.