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Special Items
Needles, Syringes and Other Sharps
Do not put sharps in home garbage or recycling. It is a health hazard and is against the law.
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Sharps disposal options
- • Check with your pharmacy. Many stores that sell sharps containers accept the full containers for disposal.
- • Ask your health care provider if you can return used sharps to his/her office or clinic.
- • Dispose of sharps at the Recycling and Disposal Stations for no charge. See instructions below.
- • Public Health Center patients can dispose of sharps 24 hours a day in syringe drop boxes located outside public clinics. See Seattle/ King County Public Health Sharps Disposal Options for locations.
- • People who use illegal drugs can drop off sharps at a Seattle/ King County Public Health Needle Exchange.
- • Businesses that need to dispose of sharps should call the Seattle - King County Health Department’s Business Waste Line at (206) 263-8899.
Recycling and Disposal Station instructions
- • Put your sharps in a sealed, labeled, rigid plastic container. Manufactured sharps containers are available at many pharmacies and drugstores.
- • If you need to use an alternative rigid plastic container, such as a 2-liter bottle, completely seal the top with duct tape and label it.
- • There is a 1 gallon container limit per trip.
- • Your container will not be returned to you.
- • Ask the station attendant where to deposit your sharps container.
- • Do not put loose sharps in the garbage or recycling! It is a health hazard and is against the law.
More Information
Call the Seattle - King County Health Department, (206) 263-8899.
Related links
Recycling & Disposal Stations
Links to other sites
Sharps Disposal Options
King County guidelines for storage and containment of biomedical waste
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