Health care organizations encourage safe disposal of medical waste
SHERIDAN – Many individuals with serious health conditions manage their care at home. For example, individuals with diabetes often inject their own insulin and utilize lancets to test their blood glucose levels. This and other medical care at home can create medical waste requiring proper disposal.
Where does this medical waste go? The City of Sheridan Landfill, located at 83 East Ridge Road, accepts medical waste including sharps such as syringes.
The City of Sheridan Landfill asks that all sharps be placed in a hard container, such as a plastic soda bottle or a sharps container. For commercial customers, staff at the landfill ask that all sharps be in a sharps disposal container. For safety reasons, landfill employees will not touch the waste. Instead, those dropping off sharps or other medical waste will cross the scales and notify the attendant of the items for disposal; landfill staff will then give instructions and direct individuals to the drop-off location.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends individuals do not throw loose needles or other sharps in the trash or flush them down the toilet. In addition, the FDA notes sharps are not recyclable and therefore should not be put in recycling bins.
Neither Sheridan Memorial Hospital nor its clinics accept sharps for disposal from the public.
For additional information regarding the proper disposal of sharps with the City of Sheridan Landfill, call the landfill at 307.674.8461.