New State Law Bans Needles, Syringes from Household Trash

[ahughan]

I am the public information officer for the California Integrated Waste Management Board and RM resident. I thought this might interest the people here that may be self-injecting.

This is the media release, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

SACRAMENTO – A new state law effective September 1 will make it illegal to dispose of home-generated hypodermic needles and other medical sharps waste in the trash, home recycling containers, or green waste containers. The number of sharps disposed of annually exceeds 300 million in California, and 3 billion nationwide.

Many of these needles are improperly stored and then placed in landfills or recycling centers, or flushed down toilets where they present a substantial risk to children, workers and the general public.

This material poses a serious health risk to workers who collect and sort waste: it can poke through clothing, including boots and heavy gloves. The workers can be exposed to pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis from the needle users or pathogens that adhere to the needle from the surrounding trash. The new law will prohibit needles in any household waste, including recycling or green waste bins.

“Proper disposal of sharps waste is a critical step to ensure the health and safety of Californians who use and work around these items every day,” said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. “Having proper disposal procedures in place and more facilities to handle them will reduce dangerous and potentially hazardous waste from entering our landfills or causing a public safety threat.”

The Medical Waste Management Act (SB 1305, Figueroa; Chapter 64, Statutes of 2006) was enacted to protect solid waste and other health and safety workers that could come in contact with needles and get stuck.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is coordinating an outreach program to make consumers aware of the new law and the new procedures for properly disposing of used medical sharps waste such as, pen needles, intravenous needles, and lancets for testing blood sugar.

Outreach components include mailers being sent to 6,000 pharmacies statewide with information about the law and asking their participation as a sharps collection centers; an online database is being compiled where the public can find nearby collection centers; and outreach materials are available in English and Spanish.

In addition to prohibiting the disposal of sharps waste in the trash, the Medical Waste Management Act requires home-generated sharps to be placed in approved containers for transport and disposal. Home-generated sharps should not be disposed of in bleach bottles, soda containers, or detergent containers. Instead, users should store the sharps waste in red bio-hazardous containers for easy identification.

Bio-hazard containers are available for purchase by consumers. Additionally, some jurisdictions have containers available at no cost. Information can be found at county health websites.

Bio-hazard containers can be disposed of in one of four ways:
· Taken to a local Household Hazardous Waste Facility;
· Taken to a Medical Waste Generator Facility (hospitals, clinics, or doctors’ offices);
· Shipped through a mail-back program;
· Taken to an approved home-generated sharps waste collection location.

To find a location to properly dispose of home-generated sharps, go to the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Medical Waste Disposal Directory at: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/HealthCare/Collection/.

For more information on sharps, go to www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/Sharps.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state’s leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use, and protecting public health and safety and the environment.
The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

[DBCooper]

That outa do it.

We cant get a budget passed but we can pass another ineffective impossible to enforce law. Great going California!

[Matthew]

Based on the info above it's a good law. I just assumed that you could not dispose of needles in the garbage already.

[DBCooper]

My point Matthew is that this cannot be enforced. Its a good idea I agree but its like so many other laws that prohibit something and a politician can stand up and say their name is on such a law but it really changes nothing. We dispose of all needles in our home in the proper way as we also do with ewaste and VOC generating paints and stains. The law will not induce those who otherwise wouldnt to change their ways.

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by DBCooper

My point Matthew is that this cannot be enforced. Its a good idea I agree but its like so many other laws that prohibit something and a politician can stand up and say their name is on such a law but it really changes nothing. We dispose of all needles in our home in the proper way as we also do with ewaste and VOC generating paints and stains. The law will not induce those who otherwise wouldnt to change their ways.

I agree that it is probably very difficult to enforce. I guess I appreciate the education piece of this thread more than the law itself. I have no need for needles so I am totally unaware of the law surrounding their use.

[DBCooper]

We have to use them daily on the animals (diabetes and Addisons) so its kinda something we've come to know. We tend to store them for 6 months in special containers otherwise known as mixed nuts or bar snack containers before carrying them in. I agree on the education thing. We need more of the 70's Native American chief crying over trash on the roadways IMHO. This issue is a precursor of what I see to come with CFL's. The energy conservation will be wiped out by callous disposal and a mercury tidal wave will seep into the groundwater 20 years hence.

[ahughan]

The legislature did not include an enforcement clause in the current bill. The CIWMB is mandated to report to the leg. next year on voluntary compliance of recycle centers and pharmacies. If there are not enough places taking them back then they will set enforcement policies in place. The point of this law is to protect the health and safety of the trash and recycle workers that are separating the materials and could get stuck with a needle that is infected with all kinds of pathogens. It does place an additional burden on the individual user that’s true.