Contact Information General Information Number: (415) 473-6907 - Fax: (415) 473-4120 - TDD: (415) 473-6368
3501 Civic Center Drive, 236;
San Rafael, CA 94903-4157 View Map
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A Public / Private Partnership Service provided by:
Marin County Pharmaceutical Assoc.
City of San Rafael Fire Dept.
Marin Recycling Center
Marin's Household Hazardous Waste Program
Kaiser Permanente
Marin General Hospital
Novato Community Hospital
American Diabetes Association
American Association of Diabetes Educators
Marin County Health & Human Services
Marin County Environmental Health Services
Marin County Solid & Hazardous Waste JPA
Marin Medical Society
PMX Medical
California Integrated Waste Management Board
Throwing Used Sharps in the TRASH or PLUMBING WASTE
FIXTURES is a BAD Idea
Used Sharps (i.e. lancets, needles, syringes
with needles) are some of the most dangerous things you can throw away.
Improperly disposed of, Sharps may end up inside trash bags or the
community sewage treatment plant where they may puncture a trash collector's
or sewage worker's skin – even through their clothing. Sharps may
end up on the ground where they can injure anyone who comes in contact with
them, even if they are wearing shoes.
Safe Packaging Options
The safest and recommended method
to package your sharps is in an approved sharps container
which can be obtained first at the Household Hazardous Waste
facility or any of theDrop-Off
locations.
The red sharps container is puncture-resistant
and, once sealed, cannot spill. This container is
considered full when it has been filled to three-fourths of
its capacity. At this point, the container should be
permanently sealed and returned to a disposal location as
soon as possible. At that time, a new container should
be obtained.
If alternate containers are used, they must
be rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant and sealable with
a lid (for example: capped plastic soda bottles, coffee tins
with rigid sealed top taped closed, or closed Mason jars).
But I'm Not Infectious"
Even if you're free of infectious disease,
people who happen to get stuck by your needle will not know that.
They will worry...maybe even panic. Their lives may be disrupted
and they must seek medical care, including immunizations,
blood tests, and extended evaluations which may last for years.
You have the power to prevent a situation like this, simply by disposing
of your used sharps safely. Do not place others at risk
when safe alternatives are currently available.
Your Safest Disposal Option
People who generate sharps at home can bring the sharps properly
packaged in an approved sharps container to a Drop-Off
location listed on this web page - At no cost
!
Questions?
For more information on safe Sharps disposal, call:
