Community Sharps Safety
Each year approximately 9 million sharps users will administer at least 3 billion injections outside health care facilities. While most sharps and needles are managed within the healthcare sector and overseen in controlled facilities, there are a significant amount administered by the public and in the communities. Safely disposing of home-generated used sharps is important to help keep our communities safe so that they aren’t ending up on streets, parks, or in municipal waste. It minimizes both sharing of syringes and accidental needle stick injuries. Safely disposing of home-generated used sharps also protects other members in the household, sanitation or service workers, or anyone else who may encounter the sharps if not disposed of properly.
As with community safety, the safety and health of our environment is just as important to us. Safe disposal of home-generated used sharps and needles reduces the risk of potentially infectious waste entering wastewater treatment plants and our environment, which can have lasting effects.
Many “at-home” injectors are people with diabetes, in-home health care services, or patients administering home health treatment for ailments such as allergies, infertility, arthritis, migraines, and other conditions. Some self-injectors are unaware of safe disposal methods, which leads to improper and sometimes dangerous disposal, like throwing them away in the trash or in recycling. Most users are law-abiding citizens wanting a safe way to dispose of their home-generated needles but can’t find a practical alternative. To assist our community, we have developed a Sharps Drop Off Kiosk program available to the public.
Our bright green kiosks provide a safe, easily accessible way of discarding home-generated needles. They are a simple way to protect our community with a solution to a growing public health concern. We have partnered with several local health agencies and police departments to place the green sharps kiosks at many locations throughout the metro. This program provides the public a safe, sanitary place to dispose of their sharps helping to protect the communities and environment in which we live.
The Sharps Drop Off Kiosks are locked, secure, and tamper resistant. They are available to the public 24-hours a day. Our expert service technicians familiar with the potentially hazardous risks of handling contaminated sharps operate and service the sharps kiosks. This assures proper handling and compliant disposal.
Safe sharps disposal is a community issue and successful solutions often require the community to help organize public safety advocacy resources. If you require any assistance with getting a Sharps Drop Off Kiosk installed in your area or need help locating a Sharps Drop Off Kiosk, please call us at (410) 437-6590.
For more information on proper disposal using a Sharps Drop Off Kiosk, check out our FAQ’s on the do’s and don’ts of sharps disposal.
