A new internet resource to help communities promote safe needle disposal

2004-02-05
February 5, 2004 -- Millions of people use hypodermic needles (and syringes) every day in their homes and other places in the community. Making sure that these needles are safely disposed of is a high priority to protect workers and the public from needle stick injuries.

Each state and territory has its own laws and regulations on acceptable approaches for community disposal of needles and other sharps. These rules can be hard to find and interpret. To help people sort through this maze and learn about what communities are doing to promote safe disposal, the Academy for Education Development (AED) has surveyed all the states and territories and put the results on a new website called Safe Community Needle Disposal.

This easy-to-use website is designed for anyone interested in safe needle disposal, including people with diabetes, others who use syringes to inject medicines, injection drug users, pharmacists, diabetes educators, health care providers, health departments, and community organizations. It focuses on needles used in the home and other community settings, not on those used in health care settings (hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics).

All state and territory profiles on the website have been reviewed and approved by a representative of the state or territorial government. As of February 2004, more that half of the state profiles are posted on the website. As the remaining states and territories approve their profiles, the profiles will be added to the website.

Safe Community Needle Disposal provides state-by-state and territory-by-territory summaries of the laws and regulations affecting the labeling, transportation, and disposal of used needles and other sharps in the community. It contains other useful information on the states and territories:

* Descriptions of published guidance for individuals on safe needle disposal;
* Background information on the major types of safe disposal options;
* Descriptions of community safe disposal programs in the state or territory; and
* Contact information for the state or territory public health, waste management, and environmental protection agencies responsible for safe needle disposal issues.