Drop Off – Used medical syringes may be dropped off at the Emergency Room at Landmark Medical Center (Woonsocket Hospital), 115 Cass Avenue, Woonsocket, RI. All syringes must be in a sealed container
Mail – Some private companies offer a service to provide sharps containers that can be mailed back to the company for safe disposal. Search results can be found by clicking here.
Solid Waste – Disposing used syringes and/or needles in the trash should only be done as a last resort. If sharps must be placed in the trash, the following guidelines MUST be followed:
- Place in a puncture resistant container immediately after use
- Syringes should be disposed of as one unit; do not attempt to remove, bend, break, or recap the needle
If a standard sharps container is not available, one of the following containers can be used:
- 1 gallon empty bleach or detergent bottle with screw-on or tightly sealed lid
- 1 pound coffee can with lid taped closed
You may add a disinfecting solution to the container by mixing 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 pint of water. The container is now ready for disposal.
- DO NOT use a glass or clear container for needle/syringe disposal
- DO NOT use soda cans or bottles, juice bottles or milk cartons
- DO NOT use a container that is to be recycled or returned to a store
- DO NOT place these containers where they may fall and spill open
- DO NOT remove items previously placed in the container for ANY reason
- DO NOT dispose of needles or syringes in the toilet
STORE ALL ITEMS IN AREAS THAT ARE CHILD AND ANIMAL-PROOF.
NEVER PLACE MEDICAL WASTE OR CONTAINERS OF MEDICAL WASTE IN RECYCLING BINS!
**Information above provided by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Department of Health
Please click here for a direct news article from WPRI-12 and RIRRC
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