Make sure to safely dispose of sharps

Needles, syringes and other medical devices need to be properly thrown away to prevent illness.

Have you ever wondered where you or a loved one can dispose of used medical syringes (sharps)? Proper disposal of sharps at home can prevent injury, illness, and the polluting of our environment. Madison County has a program in place that can help with safe disposal.

Madison County’s Safe Syringe Disposal Program makes syringe disposal easy and safe by providing special puncture-resistant plastic containers for disposal of used sharps. The bright red biohazard containers are available free at pharmacies in Madison County, the Madison County Landfill Office on Buyea Road, and the Madison County Health Department on N. Court Street in Wampsville. Once full, the red sharps container may be dropped off at the Landfill or any county transfer station (Town of Cazenovia, Hamilton, or Sullivan). Other locations, such as hospitals and nursing homes, also accept the containers at designated times.

It is important to not put syringes, needles, and lancets in any other type of container that will be recycled, and do not mix sharps with your recyclables or garbage. Safely disposing of needles and syringes will help reduce the risk of injury to trash haulers, those working in the Landfill and Recycling Center, and anyone who could accidentally come into contact with the waste, such as children.

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