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Used medical equipment, such as wheelchairs or motorized scooters, can often be donated or sold. Visit New Homes for Old Stuff for locations that can help you donate your medical equipment. Many people use syringes, needles, and lancets-known as household sharps-to manage their health care at home. Proper storage and disposal of these items is necessary to protect children, pets, and Sanitation workers. Needle sticks and other sharps may cause cuts and the transmission of blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. Follow the tips below for proper handling of these products. Place used syringes and lancets in a "sharps" container or other leak proof, puncture-resistant container, such as a laundry detergent or bleach bottle. If using a detergent or bleach bottle, close the screw-on top tightly and label the container "Home Sharps." Make sure to keep the container closed between uses. Do not clip, bend, or recap syringes and lancets. Keep away from children and pets. Put used sharps immediately into your sharps container and make sure to keep the containers away from children and pets. Safe Disposal Bring used sharps to any hospital or nursing home in New York State. All NY hospitals and nursing homes are required by law to act as collection centers for the take-back of used household sharps. Make sure sharps are packaged safely and call hospitals and nursing homes for drop-off times and instructions prior to transporting materials to their facility. In addition, to hospitals and nursing homes, various local pharmacies and healthcare providers participate in the voluntary sharps collection program. Visit take it back nyc! to find locations near you that accept sharps. Alternatively there are vendors who sell pre-paid mail-back kits for used sharps. If not taking advantage of a sharps disposal program, you can place properly packaged and labeled sharps containers in the trash. Never place loose sharps in the trash and never place sharps containers in your recycling bin. (NYC residents will not be penalized for placing a recyclable container containing sharps in their regular household garbage if the container is clearly marked "Home Sharps".) Certain medications can be donated to be used by people in need. Visit New Homes for Old Stuff for locations that can accept unwanted medications. There is no easy answer to the disposal of unwanted medications. Discarding them in the trash can increase the risk of unauthorized use, while flushing down the toilet can contaminate the water supply. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, recommends that you refer to printed material accompanying the medication for specific instructions. Most prescription drugs should be mixed with an undesirable substance (such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter) and put in impermeable, non-descript containers (such as empty cans or sealable bags) before discarding them in the trash. Alternatively, while it is not illegal to dispose of unwanted medications in the trash, there are companies who offer mail-back services for pharmacetical products. |  |
Household Medical Wastes
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