How to Dispose of a Sharps Container in Denver
Medical professionals and households use sharps containers to dispose of used needles. The sharps containers are not to be disposed of in your household garbage bag. Infectious waste poses a threat to anyone who comes in contact with the contents of the sharps container. If you live in Denver, there are two ways to properly dispose of the sharps containers.Things You'll Need
- Bleach or laundry detergent bottle
- Duct tape
- Black marker
- Sharps container
Instructions
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Garbage Collection: Least Preferred Method
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Place the sharps in a sturdy plastic container. The ideal container would be a bleach or laundry detergent bottle with a screw on lid. An extra security measure would be to use duct tape and seal the lid so that it cannot be removed easily or come off when someone is handling the container.
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Label the container "Sharps" in large letters. This alerts the sanitation worker that the container contains hazardous materials.
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Place the container with the other garbage for collection, but do not place it in a garage bag or in with the recycles. The container must stand alone.
Mail-in Collection: Preferred Method
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Use a mail-in company with the U.S. Postal Service and Food and Drug Administration approval. Waste and Compliance Management in the References section is one company that has a mail-in program.
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Purchase the container from the company. Select the size for the sharp container that meets your monthly or quarterly needs. The largest size will hold 600 insulin needles and the smallest one, which is the size of a lighter, will hold 1,500 needles only and not the syringe.
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Order a new sharps container at least one week before your container will be full and ready to return to the company.
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Return the container to the company using the prepaid return address label that accompanies the sharps container when it arrives. The container is boxed up and labeled. The package is shipped through the U.S Postal Service.
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