United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA530-F-93-027B
November 1993
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5305)
Disposal Tips  for

Home  Health Care

You can help prevent injury, illness, and pollution
by following some simple steps when you
dispose of the sharp objects and contaminated
materials you use in administering health care in
your home. You should place:

• Needles,
• Syringes,
• Lancets, and
• Other sharp objects

in a hard-plastic or metal container with a
screw-on or tightly secured lid.

Many containers found in the household will do,
or you may purchase containers specifically
designed for the disposal of medical waste
sharps. Before discarding a container, be sure to
reinforce the lid with heavy-duty tape. Do not
put sharp objects in any container you plan
to recycle or return to a store, and do not use
glass or clear plastic containers (see
additional information below).  Finally, make sure
that you keep all containers with sharp objects
out of the reach of children and pets.

We also recommend that:

•  Soiled bandages,
•  Disposable sheets, and
•  Medical gloves

be placed in securely fastened plastic bags
before you put them in the garbage can with
your other trash.

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                   Preventing Injury and Pollution
Containers
with sharps
are not
recyclable
EPA promotes all recycling activities, and
therefore encourages you to discard medical
waste sharps in sturdy, nonrecyclable
containers, when possible. If a recyclable
container is used to dispose of medical waste
sharps, make sure that you don't mix the
container with other materials to be recycled.
Since the sharps impair a container's
recyclability, a container holding your medical
waste sharps properly belongs with the regular
household trash. You may even want to label
the container, "NOT FOR RECYCLING."
These steps go a long way toward protecting
workers and others from possible injury.
(Although disposing of recyclable containers
removes them from the recycling stream, the
expected impact is minimal.)
Local
Programs
Your state or community environmental
programs may have other requirements or
suggestions for disposing of your medical
waste. You should contact them for any
information you may need.
                   For additional copies of these disposal tips,
                   please call the RCRA Hotline Monday
                   through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST.
                   The national toll-free number is (800)
                   424-9346; for the hearing impaired, it is TDD
                   (800) 553-7672.
                                       Recycled/Recyclable
                                       Printed with Soy/Canola Ink on paper that
                                       contains at least 50% recycled fiber
              *U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1993-0-516-677

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