AIR QUALITY
Household Sharps Disposal
In September of 2008, the State of California passed a law making it illegal to dispose of Sharps with regular household waste. Nor is it legal to place sharps into any container and then into household waste containers. Sharps must never be placed directly into household garbage.
Improper disposal of used “sharps” (needles, syringes, lancets) can injure:
Children
Home health workers
Sanitation workers
Pets
| Pharmaceutical manufacturers that sell or distribute a medication in California that is usually intended to be self-injected at home through the use of a hypodermic needle, pen needle, intravenous needle, or any other similar device, are required to support or provide for the safe collection and proper disposal of the waste devices, and educate consumers about safe sharps management and collection opportunities. |
Sharps should be disposed of in a proper container, and taken or sent to a location that accepts used Sharps. For information on sharps disposal locations go to http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/HomeHazWaste/Sharps/Reporting/default.htm#Plans
Sharps containers are red, made of rigid plastic, and have a locking lid to safely hold used sharps for disposal. These containers should be used to hold used hypodermic needles, lancets, and syringes. Please take note that gauze, cotton swabs, and other medical wastes should not be placed in the container.
Sharps should be placed into a container specifically for sharps disposal purposes immediately after use.
Do not put Sharps in:
Liquid detergent bottles
Bleach bottles
Coffee cans
Glass containers
Milk jugs
Soda bottles
Do not attempt to remove, bend, break or recap the needle.
Keep all Sharps and disposal containers out of reach of children.
