Washington residents – except for residents of King and Snohomish Counties – may place used sharps in a strong, plastic container – like a laundry detergent or bleach bottle – seal container with duct tape and label DO NOT RECYCLE. Place in the trash, not the recycling.
State Guidelines for Washington
In 1991, the City of Seattle passed an ordinance (115983) regulating home generated sharps waste, amending Seattle Municipal Code Section 21.43.010.G and Section 21.43.040K: “Home generated sharps are exempt from other provisions of Section 21.43 if prepared for disposal by a means that protects medical handlers, solid waste workers and the public from injury. The disposal of home generated sharps shall be limited to: a. Depositing sharps at a medical facility which has agreed to accept home generated sharps. b. Depositing properly contained sharps at a pharmacy that provides a program to dispose sharps waste that meets the requirements of these regulations. c. Depositing properly contained sharps in the designated sharps disposal receptacles (barrels) at the Seattle North and South Transfer Stations. d. Acquiring a pickup service from an infectious waste transporter permitted by the health officer. f. Other methods approved by the health officer.”
The King County Waste Acceptance Rule (Policy AAA) prohibits any used sharp from being disposed in the trash: “Sharps waste is accepted only at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill or other facilities designated by the KCSWD and must be containerized according to Title 10 of the Code of the King County Board of Health and accompanied by a Waste Clearance Decision. Uncontainerized sharps and sharps waste containers may not be placed into recycling containers. Properly containerized sharps waste from residential customers may be accepted without charge at transfer facilities with specifically designated kiosks for residential sharps waste. Unprotected sharps and sharps waste in containers may not be placed in the general solid waste system.”
The rule defines sharps waste as “hypodermic needles, syringes with needles attached, IV tubing with needles attached, dental scalers, scalpel blades, acupuncture needles and lancets that have been removed from the original sterile package.” Properly containerized means “contained in leak-proof, rigid, puncture resistant, break resistant containers which are tightly lidded during storage, handling and transport.”
The Snohomish County Code (Section 7.41) contains an ordinance prohibiting the disposal of infectious waste. The code defines infectious waste as “sharps waste, such as needles, scalpel blades and lancets.”
For all other communities, the Washington Department of Ecology does not provide written recommendations for disposing of home-generated sharps. However, individuals are responsible for ensuring that their used sharps are stored in a way that does not cause a health hazard.
