[Pharmwaste] Sharps collection

[Bickford, Barbara J - DNR (Barb)]

Jennifer (and anyone else who is interested),

Your question is only slightly off-topic, because people often bring sharps to pharmaceutical collection locations.  When there are places for the public to dispose of sharps safely - at the pharmaceutical collection site or elsewhere - the risk of injury to people collecting pharmaceuticals is lower.

Regulators in other states or municipalities who want to set up a sharps collection program and Wisconsin facilities who want to collect sharps can find out more at the "Wisconsin medical sharps collection program" page:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/healthwaste/collectsharps.html Scroll down the page for some FAQs about sharps collection.

Wisconsin's Sharps Collection Program (WA1239) [PDF]<http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wa/wa1239.pdf> is for regulators, and it explains that the foundation of any program, local or state, is to prohibit the disposal of sharps in the trash, no exceptions.  If you allow trash disposal, there is little incentive to manage sharps in other ways.

Our guidance documents for how to collect sharps from the public include practical advice that may be useful to people collecting pharmaceuticals who want to receive sharps too:
Sharps Collection: Requirements for Collectors (WA 807) [PDF]<http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wa/wa807.pdf>
Sharps Collection: Examples and Publicity (WA 806) [PDF]<http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/wa/wa806.pdf>

Information for the public is on our "Managing household medical sharps" page:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/HealthWaste/HouseholdSharps.html

Call me if you have any questions.

Barb Bickford
Medical Waste Coordinator and Hydrogeologist
Waste and Materials Mgt/Environmental Management Division
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
101 S. Webster St., PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921
Phone: 608-267-3548
Fax: 608-267-2768
barbara.bickford at wisconsin.gov


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