Recycling Biomedical

Biomedical Waste Recycling Programs

Biomedical waste refers to any sharps, infectious waste, and treated infectious waste that must be disposed of in a certain way. While it is most common for this type of waste to exist in a facility like a hospital, you may have biomedical waste at home that you need to dispose of, particularly if someone in your household suffers from a condition requiring regular injections.

CLICK HERE TO FIND A LOCATION TO RECYCLE NEEDLES/SHARPS

While it is true that biomedical waste requires careful disposal, this does not mean that recycling is completely out of the question.

Take Special Care

As you probably know if you are regularly disposing of household biomedical waste, it is very important that you be careful with such waste. You cannot, for example, through out your discarded sharps with the rest of your trash. This puts trash collectors and other members of the public who may come in contact with your waste at risk. Biomedical waste facilities are specially licensed to handle this kind of waste, and there are many laws and regulations that must be complied with for the good of the public health.

Mail-In Programs

Many companies that produce things like lancets and syringes will have a mail-in program for the express purposes of recycling used biomedical waste. This is probably the best and easiest option when it comes to biomedical recycling, because it involves the least amount of effort, and you can be sure that the company knows how to handle the material properly. There are also companies that exist for the sole purpose of recycling biomedical waste safely and properly. For large scale operations like healthcare facilities, hiring one of these companies may be the best solution.

Call the Public Health Nurse

If you are unsure of how to handle your biomedical waste, or just need advice on how to safely recycle it, you should contact your local health department. There should be a public health nurse on staff to direct you toward local resources.

Can’t Find What You Are Looking For?

City of San Diego Environmental Services call:

858-694-7000

Unincorporated County Residents call:

1-877-R-1-EARTH (1-877-713-2784)

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