ICYMI: Pet Sharps Waste, Public Disposal of Sharps Waste, and More

Here’s what you missed on the Red Bags blog this month.

Sharps Waste for Pets: How to Dispose of Sharps Safely

Pet owners with diabetic cats or dogs give daily injections. They accumulate used needles and syringes quickly and should not just toss them in the trash, which can put other people at risk. According to the CDC, over 600,000 people are injured annually by improperly discarded needles. So, how do you dispose of your pet’s used needles? Here’s what you need to know.

Sharps Waste in Public Areas

There are many patients across the country who have to self-inject medication for one reason or another, but this means generating sharps waste outside of a controlled medical facility. Unsafe medical practices, such as improper injection administration and disposal can lead to increased risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis c, hepatitis b, and HIV, just to name a few. So how can self-injectors manage medical waste on the go? Here are some fast facts and best practices.

In the Laboratory…

Did you know that laboratories exist beyond medical practices? There are hospital labs, medical research and reference labs, and educational research labs. While labs come in many forms, all will produce some kind of medical or biohazardous waste. What kinds of waste does this include? Here’s what you need to know about lab waste and how to dispose of it properly.

Manifests and Tracking Forms

Labeling, packaging, and tracking medical waste in a facility that deals with regulated medical waste is the responsibility of the facility itself.  This is part of “cradle-to-grave” processing. What “cradle-to-grave” means is from the moment you generate medical waste, the disposal of that waste is ultimately your responsibility. What do manifests have to do with this and why are they important? Here’s the 411 on medical waste manifests.

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Service Areas: Long Island Medical Waste; New York City Medical Waste; Westchester Medical Waste and more!