Safe disposal of “sharps,” also known as needles, syringes and lancets, is a concern to all members of the Syracuse community. St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center provides a convenient site for the safe disposal of sharps for people with medical conditions that require at-home, self-injections, through the free Residential Sharps Collection Program. The program takes place on the first and third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Emergency Department.
St. Joseph’s accepts used needles, syringes and lancets in clean, biohazard-labeled sharps containers or in clean, plastic bleach or laundry detergent bottles with a screw-on cap. Containers must be leak-proof and sealed to be accepted. People with medical conditions that require self-injections, such as diabetes, should immediately put sharps in containers after each use and keep them in a place that is safely away from children and pets. Sharps containers are accepted at St. Joseph’s Emergency Department.
Improper sharps disposal is a danger to others who may be stuck accidentally, such as children, trash collectors and recycling workers, possibly exposing them to blood-borne diseases, such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV. Those wishing to drop off sharps may call St. Joseph’s at 448-5173 for more information.
