Residential Sharps Disposal

These programs are county-specific, so reach out to your county contact for more information. If your county is not listed, contact us for assistance.

Needle collection programs can help you dispose of needles, syringes with needles, and lancets that have been used by you or a family member for treating an allergy, acute illness, or chronic disease, such as diabetes.

To implement a sharps collection program in your facility, you will need the following:

• Completed application for Biomedical Waste Needle Collection Program Permit to the local county health department.  There is no fee charged for this permit, as it is a service to the community.
• Written operating plan. If the facility currently has an operating plan for their biomedical waste generator’s permit, it can be amended to include the operating procedures for the collection site.
• Biomedical waste training for any personnel handling the biomedical waste.
• Log of the biomedical waste received (containers of sharps), including the date the waste was received, a description of what was received (the number of containers of sharps), and the name of the staff member completing the entry on the log.
• Sharps collection containers, which may be actual sharps containers or heavy duty detergent bottles, or similar. Filled sharps containers must be disposed in compliance with Chapter 64E-16, Florida Administrative Code.

Implementing such a program is fairly simple, especially if it is operated at an existing biomedical waste-generating facility.

If you have any questions regarding the process, contact the Florida Department of Health at AskEh@FLHealth.gov, 850-245-4250, or through your local biomedical waste coordinator.

Waste Wise
6054 Corte Del Cedro
Carlsbad, CA 92011
866-436-9264

Other Medical Waste Disposal

• Put soiled bandages, disposable sheets, medical gloves, and other contaminated non-sharp materials into a black or brown plastic bag. 
• Securely tie or tape up the top of the bag.
• Place the bag in the center of your garbage when you throw it out.

Safe Sharps Disposal

If there are no other options for safe disposal, check with your local garbage service provider or county waste services to make sure these disposal procedures are allowed.

If your county allows this last-resort option:

• Place needles, syringes with needles, lancets, and other sharp objects into a hard-plastic or metal container with a screw-on top or other tightly fitting lid (e.g., an empty liquid-detergent bottle or paint can).
• Before the container is full all the way to the top, put on the top or lid and tape it on with heavy-duty tape.
• Put the container in the center of your trash when you throw it out.

Do not put needles or other sharp objects in any container you plan to recycle, and do not use clear plastic or glass containers. Do not throw loose or unprotected needles into your garbage.