Long Beach Medical Center - Household Sharps Disposal Program

Disposal
There are different options for getting rid of the container of sharps. Some cities and towns have more options than others. Here are the best bets for safety, health and protection of the environment.

Call your doctor, pharmacy, clinic, local hospital or nursing home and ask if they accept properly contained sharps for disposal.

Ask you diabetes educator or local American Diabetes Association chapter about sharps disposal programs.

Call your local public works department or solid waste manager. (Check the blue pages of the telephone book for their numbers.) Some communities have special household medical waste collection or drop-off days.

Call your local health department and ask for the health educator. Ask about special household medical waste disposal programs.

Call the New York State Department of Health at the number listed to the left. Ask for a list of licensed medical waste transporters who provide collection services in your area.

	Long Beach Medical Center will accept household sharps through The Family Care Center located within the hospital. (516) 897-1351 Hours for sharps drop-off are Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Excluding Holidays (There is no charge for this service)
	About Household Sharps Millions of individuals with serious health conditions manage their care at home. For example people with diabetes use syringes to inject their own insulin and lancets to test their blood glucose every day. All this creates a lot of medical waste. What's the best way to handle this waste? The best way to protect everyone including trash handlers and sewage treatment workers against disease or injury is to follow these guidelines for containment and disposal of sharps.
Long Beach Medical Center provides free sharps containers as a public service.	Containment Contain the sharps safely in your own home. Use a puncture-proof plastic container with a tight-fitting screw top. A plastic soda bottle or bleach bottle is good. Don't use glass because it can break. Coffee cans are not recommended because their plastic lids come off too easily. Label the container clearly. Write "Contains Sharps" with a waterproof marker directly on the container or on masking tape on the container. Once you have used a syringe or lancet, immediately put it into your container. Screw on the top. Don't clip, bend or recap the needles because you could injure yourself. Keep the container away from children! When the container is full, screw on the cap tightly. Seal it with heavy-duty tape to be extra safe.
	Disposal There are different options for getting rid of the container of sharps. Some cities and towns have more options than others. Here are the best bets for safety, health and protection of the environment. Call your doctor, pharmacy, clinic, local hospital or nursing home and ask if they accept properly contained sharps for disposal. Ask you diabetes educator or local American Diabetes Association chapter about sharps disposal programs. Call your local public works department or solid waste manager. (Check the blue pages of the telephone book for their numbers.) Some communities have special household medical waste collection or drop-off days. Call your local health department and ask for the health educator. Ask about special household medical waste disposal programs. Call the New York State Department of Health at the number listed to the left. Ask for a list of licensed medical waste transporters who provide collection services in your area.
New York State Department of Health Diabetes Control Program (518) 486-9030
Click Here for a Printable Version of This Page (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) To return to the Long Beach Medical Center Home Page Click Here