Why Can’t Sharps Go in the Regular Trash?

Takeaways:

• Sharps can’t go into trash bags because they may puncture the bag and prick anyone handling waste disposal.
• Sharps must go into approved containers with rigid materials and leak-proof construction.
• Dispose of full sharps containers at approved local recycling centers or mail them back through a mail back sharps vendor or a medication manufacturer’s program.

Sharps can’t go into regular trash bags for one simple reason: the needles can easily tear through the bag and turn into a safety hazard for anyone handling the trash, including family members, garbage collectors, and sorting staff. 

If you want to prevent needle-stick injuries and keep friends, family, and workers safe, medical sharps containers are the ideal way to dispose of leftover needles, lancets, and other sharps. Learn more about FDA sharps disposal containers and more from the experts at Post Medical today.

What Is a Sharps Container?

If you’re wondering what a sharps container is and which one you should buy, there are a few factors to determine the answer. These bins are needle disposal containers designed to ensure you have a safe, reliable, accessible place to throw away any types of medical sharps. The FDA recommends that sharps containers meet several safety standards, including:

• Made of rigid plastic to prevent punctures
• Safety markings with clear fill lines and biohazard indicators
• Locking cap to minimize unapproved access
• Other safety features, like vertical drop designs and single-piece construction

If you’re using sharps at home for diabetes or GLP-1 injections, you can use alternative containers that aren’t officially cleared by the FDA. However, there are some guidelines to follow here as well, including:

• Heavy-duty plastic container, like a detergent bottle
• Closable lid to ensure it’s leak- and spill-proof
• A wide base that’s stable for everyday use
• Proper labeling for hazardous sharps waste

You can stabilize officially purchased sharps boxes with a sharps container cabinet or tabletop sharps container bracket. These are ideal for everyday needle use, like diabetes blood testing. You can also use a handheld travel sharps container for lighter usage.

What Goes In A Sharps Container?

When using a sharps container at home, it’s important to follow medically recommended guidelines to ensure the utmost safety for family, friends, and visitors to your home. You should dispose of the following items in small or large sharps containers:

• Razors
• Lancets
• Syringes
• Needles
• Scalpels
• Broken Glass
• Blood Vials
• Dental Wire
• Suture Needles
• Tubing with Needles

All of these items have two things in common: they can puncture your skin, and they’ve been contaminated with biological material. When you use appropriate disposal containers, you aren’t just protecting people from getting cut. You’re also preventing infections and the spread of disease.

What Doesn’t Go Into Sharps Containers

There are plenty of items that don’t belong in at-home or hospital sharps disposal containers, including:

• Medication
• Packaging
• Gauze & Bandages
• Inhalers
• Batteries
• Alcohol Pads
• General Waste
• Unsealed Liquids
• Chemical Waste

Each of these has its own guidelines for disposal. We recommend you visit the OSHA website for a more comprehensive breakdown.

The Dangers of Sharps

When you use a sharps disposal container, you’re protecting everyone around you:

• Injuries to Workers: You don’t want sanitation employees to suffer cuts or punctures when throwing away or sorting your trash bags.
• Transmitting Diseases: Used needles and contaminated sharps can carry bloodborne illnesses, including Hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV.
• Public Safety: If your bags rip during disposal, loose needles and other sharps can slip out and end up on the street where they’re easily accessible by children, pets, and community members.

Create a safer environment for your entire community when you take responsible action and use FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers.

What To Do With A Full Sharps Container

You’ve filled up your sharps container to the 3/4 mark. What to do with your sharps container now? You can’t simply throw it in the recycling with the rest of your trash; you must use approved disposal methods:

• Mail-Back Methods: Contact ARXG or your medication’s manufacturer to see if they offer a mail-back program where you send them your used sharps for safe disposal.
• Local Drop-Off: Follow www.safeneedledisposal.org to find a local waste center where you can drop off full containers. These may be city recycling centers or hospitals.
• Hospital Drop Off: Some large hospitals will take full sharps containers from patients who use sharps at home. Discuss available programs with member services at your hospital.

Every state and county may offer different programs for safe sharps container disposal. Some even offer free containers at a variety of distribution sites!

Sharps Disposal Don’ts

Oftentimes, following all sharps disposal guidelines can feel like a major hassle. However, these guidelines are designed to protect you and your loved ones. Here are a few disposal don’ts you should always follow:

• Never flush sharps or medication down the toilet
• Don’t place your sharps in city garbage bins
• Don’t use soda bottles, bleach bottles, or milk containers for sharps disposal
• Don’t overfill your sharps container

If you’re ever not sure whether a certain disposal method is allowed, check the FDA website for additional guidance.

Finding Quality Sharps Containers

Whether you want to ensure the utmost safety in your household or you’re protecting employees at a large hospital, Post Medical is here with solutions for every environment. Explore our selection to discover small sharps containers for home and travel containers for home nurses, as well as veterinary sharps disposal for animal hospitals and clinical sharps disposal for surgery centers.

If you have any questions or concerns about the best sharps container for your use case, our team is standing by to help. Reach out now to discuss your specific application, and we’ll direct you to the options that will work for you!

Contact Information:

Alpharetta, Georgia 30022

(866) 330-4845

sales@postmedical.com