What to Do With Household Medical Waste?
Medical waste generated at home is no different from most of the waste coming from hospitals. It should be treated as bio-hazardous material.
Much less waste will be generated at home than at medical sites, but bodily fluids, sharps, and unused medications are not any less dangerous because they come out of your house rather than a hospital. However, it is still important to know how to handle the medical waste.
Why Should Household Medical Waste be Disposed of?
There are some serious dangers that come from improper disposal of residential waste. The Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is found in the blood and stool of infected people. It spreads through close personal contact with someone infected, it is transmitted through food or drink as well as physical contact. Mere microscopic amounts of HAV are necessary to infect a person, the virus can live outside of the body for months, and you might have it for a couple of months before you have any clue you might infect others.
Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV/AIDS are just three of over 20 diseases that a simple needle stick can spread. Influenza, mononucleosis, meningitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, West Nile, and other diseases can be spread through bodily fluids.
How Do You Know What To Do With Medical Waste?
State and local governments regulate residential medical waste, so it would be a good idea to check out any specific requirements your state or local community might have.
Old and Unused Medicine Disposal
Unused prescription medicine is a significant concern. Disposed of improperly, it can seep back into our environment.
If you have pill bottles that are empty, there are many drop offs and take back programs for pill bottles that can be used.
If you still have medicine leftover, there are drug take back programs available, and you would just need to find an option near you. According to the FDA, there are some medications that can be disposed of in the trash or toilet. However, there is a specific “flush” list you will need to see which drugs are safe to do this to.
Disposing Of Sharps
Sharps are anything that can puncture or cut skin. Needles, scalpels, broken culture dishes, broken laboratory slides, broken bottles, razor blades, dental wire, and even plastic with a sharp edge are all included.
There are many drop off locations that can help with the disposal of sharps. This is an easy way to safely dispose of your sharps.
Mail-back Programs for Medical Waste
In some cases, a medical waste mailback service may be the best option for you. This can help get rid of special kinds of infected material safety. There is also a mail-back service for sharps if you prefer mailback to drop off opportunities.
Let Medical Waste Pros Help with Your Residential Medical Waste
Medical Waste Pros is your source for reliable local medical waste disposal experts who provide services and containers to dispose of your household medical waste safely and securely. To get started, fill out the form or give us a call at (888) 755-6370. We’ll get you free, no-obligation quotes within minutes!
