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Every day, millions of people use syringes in order to overcome an health problem that ails them. Some receive their treatment in hospitals and clinics, while others have a disease that needs to be regularly treated at home, such as diabetes. With so many needles being used, the amount of hazardous sharps waste is quickly becoming a problem in the United States. Fortunately, we can rely on federal and state medical waste management Sunrise laws when it comes to how to properly dispose of sharps waste.

Bio-medical waste removal of sharps is necessary as these medical instruments can be very dangerous to human health. For example, a person handling medical waste may get him or herself stabbed and not only injured, but also infected with a hazardous pathogen. It is not unheard of that a used needle infected someone with HIV or Hepatitis C.

Needles and other sharps are a danger if they are not disposed of according to the bio-medical waste removal laws and regulations in your state. However, you should take not, particularly if you decide to move your health care business from one U.S state to another, that there are often both minor and major differences between state regulations.

Similarities Between States

Of course, that is not to say that there are no similarities between different states when it comes to medical waste management of sharps. Each state in the U.S has it’s own laws and regulations for sharps disposal, but you can still find many things in common between regulations in Sunrise, Florida and for example, Salem, Oregon.

This connection is especially noticeable when you think about that every state demands proper labeling of its waste containers and bags, containment and warnings. Because of this, it is vital to first become acquainted with your state’s laws regarding Sunrise bio-medical waste removal. The best way to do this is to visit the EPA’s (Environment Protection Agency’s) website, where you can obtain info relevant for your state.

Acceptable Containers

One of the commonalities between U.S states that we mentioned before has to do with the fact that all sharps medical waste needs to be placed in a leak-proof, puncture-resistant sharps container and then sealed. However, here again begin the differences. Alabama state, for example, requires that you reinforce the lid with some strong tape and bans the use of anything that could be mistaken for a recyclable. Therefore, the state of Alabama only allows disposable sharps containers. Contrary to them, in Hawaii, you can use any kind of respectable, just as long it does not leak. So, in Hawaii, you can safely use an old bleach or soap bottle, or a lunch box your kid no longer carries to school.

How to Label Medical Waste in Different States?

A good medical waste management practice, is to label the container in which you are disposing your sharps as “non-recyclable”. One of the mistakes that individuals make when disposing of their used sharps is marking them as “medical waste”. Why it does make certain sense that these fall into the same category and have to be disposed under the same rules of bio-medical waste removal, as sharps waste coming from hospitals and other health care facilities, the truth is that only medical facilities should label their waste as “medical waste” or “infectious waste”.

Conclusion

Again, there are differences in how to label sharps waste in various states. For example, in Hawaii, you should write “biohazard”, Connecticut “do not recycle – sharps”, while in Arizona you have to use a permanent black marker (unlike Alabama, where this is nor regulated).

Finally, you should always use common sense when handling Sunrise medical waste, sharps in particular. Do you need a law to tell you to keep the sharps container away from kids? Or do you need a law to tell you to wear latex gloves when handling needles?