Absolutely not! Under no circumstances is throwing a used needle or any sharps in the regular waste bin acceptable. It’s dangerous to you, your co-workers and the environment.
In the 80s hundreds of used needles and other medical waste started washing up on the shores of New Jersey and New York, causing them to shut down the beaches for several days in order to clean up the waste.
Because of the lack of medical waste regulations during this time, sharps and other medical wastes were often just thrown in with the rest of a hospitals garbage. This lead to a massive amount of medical waste collecting in a New York landfill which eventually started polluting the oceans.
The New York Times reported in 1988 that 77 syringes and even entire test tubes of blood were found on the beach.
Find Out How Much You Can Save Instantly. Try our on-line savings calculator.
Savings calculator
So, instead of throwing your used injection needles in the garbage, get a proper sharps containerand keep the environment safe!
Image source: NJ.com
Common Questions
- What is considered sharps waste?
- Sharps waste is any contaminated object that can penetrate the skin. OSHA's definition includes needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires. In practice that also covers syringes, lancets, insulin pens, auto-injectors, infusion sets, connection needles, and suture needles.
- What can you put in a sharps container?
- Anything that can puncture or cut skin and has been contaminated — needles, syringes, lancets, scalpels and blades, auto-injectors, infusion sets, and contaminated broken glass. Don't put in medications, soft biohazard waste like gauze, or ordinary trash such as caps and wrappers; they belong in their own streams.
- When should a sharps container be replaced?
- The FDA advises disposing of a sharps container when it is about three-quarters full, and OSHA requires containers to be replaced routinely and never allowed to overfill. Close and lock the container at the fill line, and never push sharps in or shake the container to make room.
- Can you recap a used needle?
- Generally, no. OSHA prohibits bending, recapping, or removing contaminated needles unless the employer can show no alternative is feasible or a specific medical or dental procedure requires it — and then only with a mechanical device or a one-handed technique. Shearing or breaking contaminated needles is always prohibited.
Want more like this in your Google results?
Add MedPro as a preferred source on Google