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Medical waste disposal, especially sharps waste disposal is something that is being taken very seriously in the United States and with its government agencies. The biggest reason for this is that sharps, such as needles can easily transmit a blood-borne disease to the person. These diseases include HIV and Hepatitis types B and C. This poses a danger to not just other patients, but also to medical personnel, medical waste management workers and, albeit to a smaller extend, the community as a whole.

What are sharps waste, exactly? The best way to define sharps waste is to say that these are used and discarded medical instruments such as needles, syringes, scalpels, razor blades and scissors that have been exposed to human blood or other bodily liquids and which now contain a pathogen hazardous to humans.

Here are a few basic rules that you will need to follow when disposing of sharps waste.

  • Always use proper sharps containers

Medical waste disposal requires that you use appropriate containers for each type of medical waste. Most medical waste goes in the red bio-hazard bags. Sharps waste, on the other hand, due to its ability to tear open a bag (just like it can cut the skin) should not be placed directly inside the red bag.

Instead, sharps waste is first placed inside sharps containers. These containers have to be made from a sturdy material such as hard plastic and should be resistant to puncture, breaking, fire and leaking. Therefore, you cannot use glass, wood or any material that easily breaks or bends under pressure.

  • Do not use recycled sharps containers

Recycling sharps is okay, but using recycled sharps containers is not. Most U.S. medical disposal state laws indicate that sharps containers must have the words “Not Recyclable” written somewhere on them. So, whether you decide to recycle or reuse sharps, you cannot do the same with sharps containers.

  • Sharps containers disposal

In most U.S. states, including Florida, sharps containers should be treated as bio-hazards. This means that you have to dispose sharps containers as biohazards as well.

Since there are large discrepancies regarding the disposal of sharps waste from one state to another, the best course of action, if you don’t know the proper way to dispose of sharps in your state, is to contact your local medical waste disposal company and ask hem about the correct way to get rid of sharps waste in your region.

  • Home sharps waste disposal

Sharps waste doesn’t only come from hospitals and other health care facilities. People often use needles to treat themselves (or someone they care for) at home. For example, diabetics use needles to treat their disease at home and thus produce sharps waste.

Most U.S. counties provide home sharps disposal, but if there is none, you can always contact your local medical care facility and ask them about proper medical waste disposal method for sharps at home.

As you can see, whether you need to dispose of sharps at your medical care facility or at home, there are more or less clear rules in every state that you should follow. If you are not sure, always ask someone to explain how this part of medical waste management Pompano Beach works in your area in order to have a clear mind.