ICYMI: Plastics As Medical Waste, Sharps Safety Protocol, Expired Medications, and More

Food allergy awareness, plastics as hazardous waste, expired medication, and more on the Red Bags blog for the month of May.

Here’s what you missed in medical waste disposal and management this month on the Red Bags blog…

Epinephrine Auto Injectors: How Do We Dispose of Them?

May is Food Allergy Awareness Month, and for many, the reality is always carrying two epinephrine auto injectors in case of accidental ingestion. Of course, for those who carry, proper disposal of devices is important for the safety of patients and the environment. The safest way to dispose of epinephrine is to bring it back to your health care provider for disposal in a sharps container. They can also be taken to a supervised collection site. These sites may include hospitals, pharmacies, health departments, medical waste facilities, and police or fire stations. Read more about auto injector disposal here.

Plastics As Hazardous Waste?

For a waste to be deemed as a “hazardous waste,” it must pose dangers to human health or the environment. Due to these hazards, such wastes must be managed carefully and responsibly as improper disposal could lead to major health and environmental issues. In many countries, regulations are in place, and government agencies like EPA exist to ensure hazardous wastes are being handled properly. Should plastics be considered hazardous waste and what does that mean for the future of plastics? Read more on this Red Bags exclusive.

Hepatitis Awareness and Sharps Safety

May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States. During the entire month, the CDC works to shed light on this hidden epidemic by raising awareness of viral hepatitis and encouraging safety, vaccination, and testing. For healthcare facilities, this also includes sharps safety protocols. Implementing a sharps safety program is the best defense against sharps-related injury to prevent the spread of hepatitis. Here’s what that entails and why sharps safety should be on the priority list of every medical professional.

All About Expired Medications

Patients often have questions about drug expiration dates: can they take a medication if it has reached the drug expiration date? Are there recommendations about the best way to store medications? Are there certain drugs that should never be used past their expiration date? There’s actually mixed info out there on this subject. Here’s both perspectives and what to do about your expired medications.

Best Practices for Pharmaceutical Waste

Pharmaceutical waste management is a long and complicated topic that falls within the hub of hazardous waste management.  If you manage a healthcare facility, hospital, assisted living facility, or even a pharmacy, it’s imperative to understand different pharmaceutical waste classifications and how to dispose of pharmaceutical waste safely and under the jurisdictions of local and federal laws. Read more about narcotics, controlled substances, and at-home disposal best practices.

Understanding all the facets of medical waste doesn’t have to be confusing. Contact Red Bags to learn more about our detailed management programs for pharmaceutical waste management, sharps waste, medical waste, and more.

Stay up to date on all things medical waste by subscribing to the Red Bags blog.

You Might Also Like:

Red Bags Blog

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