Important Note: Sharps should be contained in a heavy duty, puncture resistant container with a tight fitting lid (examples include plastic detergent bottles, liquid fabric softener bottles, empty bleach bottles, and red sharps containers).
Additional options include contacting your physician to see if they will accept them or obtaining a sharps mail back container from your pharmacy. You may also purchase the mail-back containers online.
Safely Using Sharps (Needles and Syringes) at Home, at Work and on Travel
Sharps is a medical term for devices with sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut skin. They may be used at home, at work, and while traveling to manage the medical conditions of people or their pets, including allergies, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, infertility, migraines, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, blood clotting disorders, and psoriasis.
Requirements for Home-Generated Sharps Waste
Beginning on September 1, 2008, State law (Section 118286 of the California Health and Safety Code) makes it illegal to dispose of sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers, and requires that all sharps waste be transported to a collection center in an approved sharps container.
Section 117671 of the California Health and Safety Code defines "home-generated sharps waste" as hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household, including a multifamily residence or household.
The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Locate a site near you.
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