Reminder to Baneberry residents: Biomedical waste such as hypodermic (insulin) needles, catheters, syringes, or other contaminated and/or sharp objects must be disposed of in a proper container. These items should not be placed loosely with your trash or in your garbage cans.

Sharps should not be thrown in the recycle bin either, regardless of whether they are used or unused. Sharps that are improperly disposed of may cause injury.

It’s recommended that you place your needles, syringes, and other sharps in a strong plastic container. Once securely enclosed inside a hard container, such as a sharps container, the container may be placed in the garbage can.

The following six medical wastes are commonly regulated by states and require safe disposal:

  • Pathological waste
  • Human blood and blood products
  • Cultures and stocks of infectious agents (microbiological waste)
  • Contaminated sharps
  • Isolation waste (with communicable disease)
  • Contaminated animal carcasses, body parts and bedding
The FDA recommends a two-step process for properly disposing of used needles and other sharps.
Step 1: Place all needles and other sharps in a sharps disposal container immediately after they have been used.
Step 2: Dispose of used sharps disposal containers according to your community guidelines.