Sharps waste is a form of biomedical waste composed of any device or object used to puncture, cut, or lacerate the skin. Med Waste Gone helps you dispose of your sharps in a safe, compliant and cost-effective manner.

Sharps waste is also classified as biohazardous waste and must be carefully handled and disposed of in FDA-approved sharps containers. Sharps containers are specially-made containers designed to reduce the risk of injury and spread of infection by properly containing sharps waste.

Your Local St. Louis-Area Sharps Waste Disposal Company

Med Waste Gone provides sharps waste disposal services for customers just like you throughout the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area and surrounding region, including Missouri and Illinois.

Call us or complete the form on this page to discuss your unique needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

Do You Need to Dispose of Your Sharps Waste?

OSHA estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 needlestick injuries (NSIs) and other percutaneous injuries (PIs) occur annually among health care workers who use and support patients or clients with needles, syringes, and scalpels, leaving them exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Therefore, it is critical that medical clinics, hospitals, dental practices, surgery centers, and other related organizations that generate contaminated needles, syringes, and other sharps waste to dispose of it correctly.

Examples of Sharps Waste

• Medical needles and syringes
• Suture needles, scalpel blades, and butterflies
• Diabetic lancets and insulin needles
• Vacutainer (blood collection) tubes, both plastic and glass
• Phlebotomy needles with vacutainer tube holder attached
• Capillary tubes, both plastic and glass
• IV catheters
• Dental wires and endodontic files
• Used epinephrine auto-injectors

How to Dispose of Sharps

Used sharps should be placed in an appropriate sharps disposal container immediately. Med Waste Gone offers FDA-approved sharps containers for our customers to purchase. They are also available through pharmacies, medical supply companies, health care providers, and online. These containers have leak-resistant bottoms and sides and are made of puncture-resistant plastic with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid.

In the United States, sharps containers are usually red and marked with the universal biohazard symbol for ease of recognition. Sharps are placed into the container until it reaches a certain height, typically around three-quarters or 75% full. At that point, the container lid is locked and the entire container is packaged as regulated medical waste and processed.

Sharps containers may be single-use, in which case they are disposed of along with the waste they contain, or reusable, in which case they are robotically emptied and sterilized before being returned for re-use. Many medical facilities are required by federal regulations to hire the services of a company like Med Waste Gone that specializes in the proper transport and disposal of sharps and other biohazardous waste.

FDA sharps disposal guidelines state that:

• Used sharps can only be disposed of in a sharps container
• Sharps containers may be supplied by companies such Med Waste Gone
  
• Sharps containers must be rigid and puncture-proof with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid

Call us or complete the form on this page to discuss your unique medical waste disposal needs. We look forward to hearing from you.