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To properly dispose of your medical waste such as used medical needles, scalpels, and IV catheters, use a Sharps Container to ensure that they are properly segregated.

It has been a standard practice to immediately dispose of the needles after a single use to prevent sharing needles which is the common cause of AIDS (HIV) and other infections caused by blood contaminations like Hepatitis B and C.

The containers are usually red or yellow, made from thick plastic, making it safe to handle and can resist needle sticks. It includes labeling indicating that the container holds sharps and the contents are bio-hazardous. The container has two types, one that is for single use only and should be disposed along with its contents. The second is the reusable type, which are robotically sterilized and emptied at a medical waste processing facility before returning for re-use.

Medical clinics and hospitals usually have a sharps container in their patient treatment areas. For diabetics who need to take insulin shots regularly- they should also have one at home. It is very important to dispose of the needles properly because it is very dangerous to pass on pathogens when used needles penetrate your skin.

It is easy to discard your sharps in the container. Simply drop them through the slot in the lid of the container, without touching the outside part. Never push or force the needles into the container to prevent damage and needle stick injuries. Remember to change the container before they are too full. Proper use of the container includes delivery and pick-up to an approved “red bag” or disposal to the medical waste treatment site.

Sharps Containers are available in various sizes, from very small containers to large barrels. Small containers can fit on examination room counters and large ones can be used in high volume areas like operating rooms.

Sharps disposal in a medical environment

It’s important from a safety standpoint and from an efficiency stand point to choose the correct sharps container size for your specific needs.

Sharps Container Sizes By Application

Phlebotomy Containers – These are the perfect sharps container size to fit most standard phlebotomy trays and come in a variety of opening sizes to dispose of small syringes, butterfly tubing, etc.

Patient Room Sharps Container Systems –  These come in a wide variety of sizes, and usually have a unique lid design that restricts accidental access to container contents.   This type of restriction makes them perfect for pediatrics, geriatrics, or any other high risk area.

Transportable Sharps Containers Sizes – These come in a variety of sizes such as 1 quart, 1.5 quart, and 8 quarts and are made in shapes perfect for easy transportability.  They are made to close securely reducing the likelihood of dangerous spills and leaks if they are knocked over.  The transportable sharps containers are perfect for EMS, fire rescue, and travelling nurses, and can usually be operated with one handed use.

Operating Room Sharps Container Sizes – OR’s typically require and use large volume sharps containers that adhere with OHSA guidelines.  Typical sizes can be in the 8 gallon or 10 gallon size or even larger.  The same size can also be perfect for high volume Chemotherapy rooms where a large number of needles are used and disposed of on a frequent daily basis.

Again, before buying a new sharps container, be sure to consider where you need it, and how much needle and other sharps you use and dispose of on a daily basis, and of course, budget and storage  requirements.  But, rest assured, there is such a wide variety of Sharps container sizes, that you will find the perfect one to suit your needs.

Among all the concerns and fundamental procedures concerning the prevention of infection within healthcare facilities, syringe disposal is near or at the top of the list. Not doing so properly, without exaggeration, could result in serious illness to any who come in contact with such an infected syringe; the contact could actually be fatal.

Within the healthcare community, it is absolutely critical that all staff members be well informed concerning the dangers of not properly disposing of used syringes. Very unfortunately, proper syringe disposal is among the most the neglected health concerns concerning waste disposal in medical facilities. It has been rampant among some hospitals, and that is absolutely ridiculous because the procedures are quite uncomplicated; actually rather simple to perform properly.

The practice of good housekeeping by medical staffs is paramount in preventing infections from used needles that have not been disposed of properly. These hazards are not just a concern to staff workers, and others employed at the hospitals and other medical facilities; patients and visitors could through various circumstances come in contact with such infected syringes.

All of the risks concerning the propriety of syringe disposal are rather easily eliminated by just properly educating all the staff members and employees of the hospitals and medical facilities. The surrounding communities should also be involved because the dangers of contaminated syringes are not limited to within the walls of such medical-related buildings. Careless and improper disposal on the outside immediately releases such life-threatening danger to the public in the surrounding community.

The most fundamental step in preventing infection in healthcare facilities is correct medical waste disposal. Extremely unfortunately, it is the most neglected means of preventing serious infections in such facilities. Improper handling of medical waste is rampant in some hospitals for example, and it is a pathetic shame because proper medical waste disposal is really not particularly complicated; the procedures are basic and rather simple to perform.

In all healthcare facilities all of the staff members have equal responsibility concerning the disposal of medical waste. Of course, disposal of such potentially dangerous waste materials must be done in such a manner that the hazards are minimum to their coworkers, the patients and the visitors.

At the core, good housekeeping practices are at the forefront of infection prevention. It not only reduces the occurrence of accidents, but is critical in ways that are not normally noticed, are not visible or obvious; it reduces the appearance of dangerous microorganisms, which can lead to serious infections, sometimes actually resulting in death.

There are many advantages to efficient medical waste disposal aside from the prevention of serious medical problems. Some of the more important and noticeable would be odor reduction, significantly lowering the attraction for insects and animals, and the reduction of soil and groundwater contamination. And also, properly disposing medical waste helps to create an overall atmosphere that is much more pleasing aesthetically.

Virtually all of the risks of medical waste, large or small, can be eliminated through properly educating all of the facility employees from the administrators and the staff, outward to the members of the local community. Such an all-encompassing education in proper medical waste disposal, far from fear mongering, is an intelligent, common sense approach to protecting the health and welfare of those not just within the facility, but in the surrounding community. It’s smart, effective and is simply the right thing to do.