Disposing of sharps and broken glass

Why it matters

Needles, blades and broken glass in household trash can injure family members and waste workers. A proper container keeps them contained until disposal.

Using a sharps container

• Keep it close to where you work
• Drop items in right away; never recap or bend needles
• Stop at the marked fill line, usually about three-quarters full
• Lock the lid once it is full

Getting rid of a full container

Disposal rules depend on where you live. Many pharmacies, hospitals and local waste programs accept sealed sharps containers, and some offer free mail-back options. Search your city or county website for "sharps disposal".

Broken glass: how to clear it up

• Keep everyone and any pets out of the area until you have finished
• Sweep with a brush and dustpan, never your hands, even wearing gloves
• Press a damp paper towel over the area afterwards to pick up the splinters a brush leaves behind
• Put small pieces straight into the sharps container
• Put larger pieces in a sturdy box, tape it shut and write "broken glass" on the outside
• Throw the paper towel away with the glass, not in the regular bin

Why broken glass does not go in the regular trash

A bin bag does not stop glass. It cuts the person who carries it out, and it cuts the collection crew who handle it later, often badly enough to need stitches. A rigid container or a taped box is what separates a tidy clean-up from somebody getting hurt down the line.

If the glass held something

Clear it up the same way, but treat whatever it held as spilled too: wipe the area down afterwards, and if a label is still readable keep it with the box so the contents are not a guess. Anything you are unsure about belongs in the sharps container rather than a bag.