Community sharps disposal programs are not regulated under solid
and infectious waste rules.
Syringes used at home are not regulated and may be disposed in
the trash.
Infectious waste disposal standards apply only to hospitals.
Businesses that provide or support health care
and medical diagnostic services may not dispose of regulated waste in
landfills unless it has been decontaminated.
Identified Community-based Disposal Initiatives
No community-based disposal initiatives were identified in Idaho,
though that does not mean that no such programs operate in Idaho.
Learn about how criminal laws affect syringe disposal by individuals in this state, especially injection drug users.
Disposing of contaminated medical waste, including needles,
syringes, and other “sharps,” has become an important issue in
public health policy. Waste generated in the health care system is highly regulated
at the state and federal level. Hospitals and other health care facilities
must follow special procedures for handling, transporting, and disposing of
medical waste, including used needles that may contain blood. Facilities also
have instituted strict safeguards to protect health care workers, housekeeping
staff, sanitation workers, and waste haulers from needlesticks because of the
risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B and C, and other bloodborne infections.
Less attention has been paid to safe disposal of used
syringes that come from individuals living in the community. However, as many
as 3 billion syringes are used each year outside health care facilities: It
is estimated that between 0.9 and 1.68 billion insulin injections and up to
1 billion illegal drug injections occur each year in the United States. After
being used and discarded, most of these syringes end up in the public solid
waste system. This presents a risk of needlestick injury and infection, mostly
to solid waste workers. A much smaller number are discarded in public areas,
such as parks, presenting a risk to the public.
This section of CDC’s Community Syringe
Disposal, Laws and Regulations, and the Public Health web site looks
at the public health dimensions of this problem. It describes this state’s
solid and infectious waste laws and regulations as they relate to syringe
disposal. It provides background information on several key disposal options
currently used in the U.S. and describes the impact of this state’s
laws and regulations on the way that individuals may use these options. It
also includes brief descriptions of some safe disposal programs in the state
and provides contact information for the state’s public health and
environmental management agencies.
This web site is designed primarily for individuals and
communities who are working to build safe syringe disposal programs and improve
public understanding of this important issue. We hope that the information
and tools provided here will help communities move closer to the ultimate goal of “no
syringes discarded in the trash or in public locations such as parks, buildings,
or the streets.”
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality publishes guidance entitled
Eliminating Household
Hazardous Waste. The guidance contains the following
information:
Medical Waste/Sharps
Potential hazards:
The medical waste items most often generated by households in Idaho are disposable
hypodermic syringes and needles (called sharps) used for home medications
in the treatment of diabetes and allergies. Other types of medical wastes
produced by households are cultures and stocks, biological waste and pathological
waste. Improper disposal of sharps can injure garbage haulers and landfill
workers or, if contaminated with infectious disease organisms, transmit communicable
diseases.
Disposal:
Sharps and other medical wastes are characterized as infectious waste and should
be disposed of separately from household garbage. Contact your garbage hauler,
local government solid waste department or public health department to obtain
proper disposal containers and service information for packaging and collection
in your area.
Hard copies may also be obtained by contacting the Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality’s Pollution Prevention Program at (208) 373-0502.
Summary Adopts the federal bloodborne pathogen standard’s definition of
regulated waste – Blood, infectious materials, and sharps contaminated
with infectious material, are included as regulated waste in Idaho’s
solid waste rule, as they are in the federal bloodborne pathogen
standard.
Does not address community sharps collection or disposal – Idaho
solid waste rules do not address either community sharps container collection
sites
or safe disposal of used syringes by individuals in the community.
Prohibits disposal of infectious waste in a landfill – Idaho’s
solid waste rule prohibits any business that provides health care, support
to health care businesses, or medical diagnostic services from disposing of
regulated waste has not been decontaminated.
Defines and establishes infectious waste standards
for hospitals – Idaho’s
standards for hospitals define infectious waste and establish specific requirements
for its treatment and disposal.
Rule
Idaho Administrative Code 58.01.06 (Sold Waste Management Rules) [Ref
1]
Idaho Administrative Code 16.03.14 (Rules and Minimum Standards for Hospitals
in Idaho) [Ref 2]
Summary Federal bloodborne pathogen rule applies – Idaho has not established
its own state plan for regulating bloodborne pathogens. Therefore, the federal
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards apply.
Sets requirements for collection sites when employees handle the sharps
containers – Operators
of sharps container collection sites in which employees physically accept and
handle filled sharps containers from customers are required to meet the OSHA
bloodborne pathogen standards. This involves developing a written Exposure
Control Plan that identifies the frequency of exposure and the tasks and procedures
in which exposure may occur. The Plan also must address methods of compliance,
hepatitis B vaccination, hazard communication to employees, recordkeeping,
and methods to evaluate exposure incidents.
Sets requirements for collection sites when employees do not handle the
sharps containers – Operators of sharps container collection sites
in which customers place filled sharps containers into a collection container
are not
subject to the bloodborne pathogen standard. In this situation, employees must
not handle the sharps containers. Those involved with removing the sharps containers
from the collection container must meet the standard.
Responsible Agency US Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Regional Office (Responsible for administrative activities in Region 10)
Area Office (Responsible for OSHA compliance in Idaho)
How This Option Works
An individual brings filled sharps containers to a collection site such as
a pharmacy, medical facility (for example, a hospital or public health clinic),
or non-medical facility (for example, a fire station) for safe disposal.
Other sites have sharps collection drop boxes (a kiosk, mailbox-type receptacle,
or other secured collection bin). This is a viable option that can capture
many of the syringes generated in the community. Successful syringe container
collection programs feature:
minimal regulatory constraints placed on collection sites;
easy access provided through numerous and well-publicized
collection locations; and
minimal costs to users through subsidized costs of containers
and disposal.
Even if a community does not have collection site programs, an
individual may be able to develop an informal relationship with
a local pharmacy or other facility that will accept and safely
dispose of filled syringe containers.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Sharps container collection programs have two key advantages:
Used syringes are kept out of the regular solid waste
stream, which reduces the risk of needlestick injuries to waste
and recycling workers (see Disposal
in the Trash for more information).
Syringes collected through these programs are disposed
of safely as medical waste. This involves special disinfection
to destroy germs and destruction or
burial to ensure that the needle points cannot injure anyone.
Facilities and individuals may perceive some disadvantages:
Individuals may feel that bringing sharps containers to a
collection site is inconvenient and reduces their privacy because
it identifies them as a syringe user.
Collection sites may have to comply with state bloodborne
pathogen standards and medical waste disposal requirements, and
they must carefully maintain the collection bins or kiosks.
Effect of Idaho’s Laws and Regulations
Community sharps container collection sites are not addressed by Idaho’s
solid waste rule. This lack of recognition may reduce communities’ awareness
of the need to begin such programs. This environment may also make it easier
to begin container collection programs. Federal bloodborne pathogen standards
would apply.
Container Mailback
Programs
Background
How This Option Works
Sharps containers are distributed to customers and, when full, are mailed back
to a syringe disposal company for safe disposal. This is a viable option
that can capture some of the used syringes generated in the community.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Syringe mailback programs have the same advantages as syringe
container collection sites:
Used syringes are kept out of the regular solid waste
stream, which reduces the risk of needlestick injuries to waste
and recycling workers (see Disposal in the Trash for
more information).
Syringes collected through these programs are disposed
of safely as medical waste. This involves special disinfection
to destroy germs and destruction or burial to ensure that the
needle points cannot injure anyone.
The cost of mailing the container to the disposal company varies.
The cost may be too high for some individuals, and may be considered
a disadvantage.
Effect of Idaho’s Laws and Regulations
Sharps container mailback programs are not addressed by Idaho’s infectious
waste rule. However, sharps container collection programs are regulated under
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) when syringes are mailed [Ref 4]. The USPS regulations
establish specific packaging, labeling, and tracking requirements for these
syringes.
Disposal in the Trash
Background
How This Option Works
Individuals place their used syringes in the household trash, either loose
or in a puncture-resistant container. Some individuals remove the needle
from the syringe and put it in a container using a special device. The syringe
and contained needle are then disposed of in the household trash.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The main advantages of this option are convenience and low
cost.
This option has one important disadvantage – it
places people at risk of being stuck by a needle and increases
their chances of contracting a bloodborne infection:
Placing unprotected syringes into the household trash puts
waste collectors at risk [Ref 5].
Placing used needles in a puncture-resistant container may
help protect trash collectors from being stuck. Even so, most
containers disposed of in the trash shatter in the garbage truck
and release their contents. This places other waste workers at
risk.
Bottles or cans used as puncture-resistant containers may
be recycled by mistake. This puts waste recyclers at risk.
Effect of Idaho’s Laws and Regulations
Syringes used at home are not regulated, and therefore, individuals may dispose
of them in the trash. This may discourage individuals from seeking safe disposal
options, such as returning filled sharps containers to a pharmacy or other
sharps container collection site.
How
Might Idaho Ensure Safe Syringe Disposal by Individuals in the Community?
The state legislature and individual communities may wish to more actively
encourage individuals to safely dispose of used syringes and make it easier
for them to do so. Many options for state and local action exist. They range
from gathering data, to developing community collection site programs and education
efforts, to creating partnerships with interested groups, to considering amending
laws and regulations. All will help Idaho move toward the goal of “no
syringes discarded in the trash or public locations.”
Current
Identified Community Syringe Disposal Programs in Idaho
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CDC has attempted to make the information in this website accurate. However, CDC makes no guarantees about the accuracy, currency, or completeness of the information provided. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for results obtained from the use of the information. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought.
This CDC Web site is no longer being reviewed or updated and thus is no longer kept current. This site remains to assist researchers or others needing historical content.
Idaho Public Health Laws and Regulations: Impact on the
Safe Disposal of Used Syringes by Individuals in the Community
