Properly disposing of used “sharps” can be a headache, but safe options do exist.

Throwing needles in the trash puts the public and sanitation workers at risk for accidental needle sticks.

Sharps can include needles, syringes, lancets or any other medical waste used for home care that can puncture skin.

• If new needles arrive in a red biohazard box from the company, check to see if a return shipping label is included. If so, return the used needles in the biohazard box, and the company will dispose of them properly.

• Mail-safe and Postal Service-approved disposal kits also can be purchased online from a variety of companies such as Waste Management, Sharps Inc., Stericycle and Target. 

• As a last resort, sharps can be taken to the local landfill — if properly packaged. Place used sharps in a plastic laundry detergent bottle with “sharps” written on the cap. Be sure to notify personnel at the gate that you have a sharps container, as it must be buried immediately under 12 inches of dirt, according to the landfill’s permit. There is no additional cost for disposing sharps at the landfill.

Due to the high volume and large cost of disposing used consumer sharps, West Park Hospital and and WPH's Home Health Department cannot take them from the public.

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