|
- Disease & Conditions
- Report an illness
- Clinics, Screenings,
 and Programs
- Fairs, church events,fundraisers and othercommunity food events
- Report a concern
- An Ounce of Prevention
|
Safe Syringe Disposal
 Over 8 million people in the United States need to use syringes
for their medications. That's a lot of syringes that go into the trash
and could harm family members, garbage collection workers and pets if
improperly disposed.
Tips on How to Dispose of Your Syringes Safely
- Buy syringes that after they are used, the needle tip is retracted
into the syringe itself. After use they can safely be thrown into the
household trash containers unlike traditional syringes which could
potentially stick a family member or garbage worker. These are called
"self-shielding" syringes and are only a few cents more than the
traditional syringes.
- Participate in a mail return program for your sharps containers.
Using the postage-paid container, mail back your full sharps container
and receive a certificate of destruction in the mail. This is your proof
that your sharps container was disposed of properly and safely.
www.cvs.com sells a BD Sharps Disposal
by mail kit for $26.99. It is currently unavailable in CVS stores,
online only.
- Buy a device that cuts off the needle tip. The needle tip is safely
held inside the device and the syringe can then be thrown away with the
household trash. Most devices hold up to 1,500 needle tips. Since it
cannot be opened, once the device is full, it too can go into the
household trash container.
APEX pharmacy in Hamden sells these kinds of devices.
www.cvs.com also sells a device called
the Disintegrator Plus insulin needle destruction device for $49.99. The
Voyager diabetic needle device is also available for $6.99. They are
currently unavailable in CVS stores, online only.
www.walgreens.com sells another
model called the Zims Disintegrator plus for $99.99. It is currently
unavailable in Walgreen's stores, online only.
www.medicalsupplygroup.com
sells a BD safe clip device for $4.64. Unsafe Ways to Dispose of
Needles
- Throwing syringes in with the household trash.
- Placing too many in a plastic container like a bleach bottle or
in a metal container like a coffee can.
- Flushing them down the toilet.
- Placing them in your recycling bin.
|
