Stevens has announced to students living in the UCC Towers that syringes have been improperly disposed of in the trash chutes, which is causing a safety hazard. Chad Jones, Operations Manager of Residential Dining and Services, made the announcement via Roompact, saying, “Recently the janitorial staff has come across syringes while disposing of the trash from the trash chutes in the UCC. We are asking, for the safety of our janitorial team as well as any other individual that handles trash removal, that you properly dispose of your syringes in a sharps container. To obtain a sharps container please contact your physician. Thank you.”
Why is proper needle disposal so important? According to this article by the New Jersey state government, the improper disposal of home generated medical waste such as used needles can injure small children, pets, and wildlife, and although rare, it can also result in serious diseases such as Hepatitis B and AIDS. New Jersey has a law regarding the disposal of needles, stating that a person using a needle is prohibited from discarding disposable/reusable needles in public/private places accessible to other people without properly destroying it first. Failure to properly destroy a needle can result in a $500 fine and/or imprisonment.
How can you safely dispose of syringes and needles? The New Jersey Hospital Association is working with local hospitals to offer a program to safely dispose of such items for a small, one time fee by offering rigid containers for proper disposal. The container must be returned to the local hospital and be full in order to receive a completely new, empty container, with specific steps to dispose of the container. If you are not interested in working with your local hospital, this article by safeneedledisposal.org provides specific steps detailing what you ought to do: put used sharps in a strong, plastic container and fill it until it is three-fourths full, before sealing it and placing a “DO NOT RECYCLE” label on it. Then put the container in the trash to get it picked up.
Proper disposal is the key to creating a healthy and safe environment for others and to prevent them from being accidentally infected by an improperly disposed needle. It is important to follow these steps and not take them lightly, otherwise there would be severe consequences for you and for the people around you.
