Disposing Of Needles, Syringes, And Other Sharps Will Soon Be Easier

Santa Clara County residents who use such sharps as needles, syringes, and lancets will soon be able to safely dispose of them at approximately 100 locations countywide now that the Board of Supervisors has approved my proposal for a consumer sharps disposal program. The program is based on the Safe Drug Disposal ordinance that I introduced in 2015. Like that earlier action, the new sharps disposal program will be entirely funded by the pharmaceutical and medical device companies that manufacture and sell sharps. The disposal kiosks will be located at pharmacies, law enforcement facilities, community and senior centers, and other convenient locations. Prepaid safe envelopes will also be widely available so that sharps can be sent to disposal processors by mail. Santa Clara County generates an estimated 1.7 million sharps each month. It is currently illegal to dispose of sharps in the garbage or recycling, but many residents are unaware of this. In addition, there are currently a very limited number of safe sharps disposal sites in Santa Clara County.