What?
Medical equipment for sucking in and ejecting liquid in a thin stream.
They are medical waste, especially Sharps – Sharps are defined as any needles, scalpels, or other articles that could cause wounds or punctures to personnel handling them
Where?
While these are predominantly made of plastic they cannot be placed in your household bins.
They fall into the category of medical waste, called ‘sharps’ and must be disposed of accordingly through a healthcare facility or specialist waste collector.
How?
You have to get a Sharps waste container from your GP or hospital.
These containers are usually labelled as such or have biohazard symbols on them. Once you get this, you will put your used syringes in them.
If you are disposing of your syringes as a sharp waste from a hospital or any facility, you will have to include some details. Some of those details include the name of your facility, phone number, and address. Once full this can be returned to your GP or hospital, fill out the details on the label. The bin MUST be clean, locked and have no blood splatters.
Why?
Like their needles, Syringes are often predisposed to be contaminated because of their constant contact with body fluid and blood.
General Comment / Tip
There is a leaflet for people who may need to dispose of sharps at home through treatment – here .
Please contact your local pharmacy for further advice on how to avail of a sharps box or needle exchange schemes if necessary. For more information on needle exchange, see here.