County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

 

September 10, 2008                                                           CONTACT: Armine Kesablyan,

                                                                                                                    (626) 458-3548

 

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES LAUNCHES HOME-GENERATED SHARPS WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

 

 

Public Works Headquarters, Alhambra, CA – Beginning September 1, 2008, state law prohibits the disposal of home generated sharps waste in the trash, recycling, green waste, or large comercial dumpsters.

 

The County of Los Angles (County) in partnership with the City of West Covina and other local municipalities will implement a home-generated sharps waste management program which will augment the existing Household Hazardous/E‑Waste Management Program and will focus on the safe and proper collection and disposal of home-generated sharps waste. 

 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year over 8 million people across the country use over 3 billion sharps in their home setting.  These include medicinal needles, syringes, and lancets, to manage various medical conditions that range from cancer to diabetes to AIDS (HIV) and more.

 

Sanitation and landfill workers, as well as scavengers, are at risk for injury and serious infection or disease from improperly disposed sharps waste.

 

The new program will provide an easy and convenient means for residents to properly dispose of their sharps waste.  The program will provide residents with free State-approved sharps waste disposal containers.  Free mail back containers will also be available for qualified elderly and disabled persons.

 

More than 100 distribution sites for the sharps waste containers have been established, which include the County's mobile Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events, the City of West Covina's Senior Citizen Center and City Maintenance Office, Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC), various Goodwill Stores, the City of Los Angeles' permanent "SAFE" centers, and a variety of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Centers.

 

Residents may take the filled sharps containers to designated State-certified collection sites, including the County's mobile HHW events, AVECC, the City of Los Angeles' permanent "SAFE" centers, and designated Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Centers.

 

The program is administered by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and is funded in part by a grant from the California Intergrated Waste Management Board.

 

Tips for safe disposal of home-generated sharps waste

 

• The safest way to dispose of sharps waste is to use only State-approved sharps waste disposal containers. Check availability at the County's designated distribution sites or ask your pharmacist or doctor about them.

 

• If you have to use a plastic bottle, do not use water bottles. They are made of plastic that will puncture. Use a clean bleach or detergent bottle. Seal the top with tape and label the container "SHARPS".

 

• Do not fill your container to the top, only until it is about 3/4 full. Seal it securely.

 

• Do NOT flush your sharps waste or medications down the toilet or drain.

 

• Do NOT place your sharps waste in the trash, green waste, or recycling bin.

 

• Keep your sharps waste containers out of reach of children and pets.

 

For more information, visit www.888CleanLA.com or call 1(888) CLEAN LA.