Needle Sharps Container Management

No, never put sharps into medical waste box, without first being in a Sharps Container

You should never put Sharps Needle waste , directly into the medical waste box, without first being placed in a Sharps Container. People are often confused, between the medical waste box and a sharps container.

What is a medical waste box?

The medical waste box is normally a thirty (30) gallon corrugated cardboard box, with a red biohazard liner or bio bag inside, lining the box. This is your end all, be all, for clinical medical waste disposal. Smaller, red biohazard bags from exam rooms, gloves and other clinical waste. Should all - be placed into the medical waste box, before your driver picks-up for transportation to the treatment facility.

The medical waste box is not a sharps container. Sharps, Needles and other sharps objects, could puncture through the box and cut, pierce or stick your (Waste Technician) leading to all kinds of problems.

This is why, we use Sharps Containers. To protect, patients, health care providers & waste disposal technicians

Sharps Container

A Simple Description for Sharps Needle Container is a container filled with used clinical medical needles (and other sharp medical instruments, or sharps objects). They fit into two types:

Single use which are disposed of with the waste inside,

Reusables which are robotically emptied and sterilized before being returned for re-use.

It is standard practice in developed and underdeveloped countries for used needles to be placed immediately into a sharps container after a single use.

Sharps Waste and Needles are dropped into the Sharps container without touching the outside of the container. Needles should never be pushed or forced into the Sharps container, as damage to the container and or needle stick injury may result. In most countries, recapping and de-notching needles is also no longer an accepted practice.

Under normal operating procedures, after the Sharps container is full. The container should be secured, using the locking mechanism provided by that particular manufacturer. Secure Waste, also recommends using some medical tape, to secure the lid.

Carefully place Sharps container, directly into medical waste box, provided by your disposal company, right side up. Place a new, empty Sharps container in service at your practice.

Continue to use medical waste box, for miscellaneous, clinical waste and more sharps containers, as-needed. Contact your waste provider when medical waste box is full and ready for pick-up.

So, NEVER put Sharps Needles , directly into a medical waste box, without first being in a sharps container.

Information provided is for general informative purposes only and should not be considered as the Rule, by definition for any jurisdiction. Contact your local State Regulator or Medical Waste Disposal Company for more information.