SPARTA, Wis. (MONROE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE) – Sharps disposal is now available at the Monroe County Health Department at 315 West Oak Street in Sparta. Monroe County residents can bring in sharps for disposal during regular business hours of the Health Department, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At this time, there will not be a fee for sharps disposal, as this resource is being funded by opioid settlement funds from the pharmaceutical industry. Sharps must be in a biohazard container or another container made of thick plastic and unable to be pierced, such as a thick laundry detergent jug with a lid. New sharps containers will be available at the front desk for free.
Proper disposal of medical sharps is important to ensure the health and safety of the community. Medical sharps are instruments intended to cut or penetrate the skin, like needles, syringes, and lancets. People use sharps to treat all sorts of medical conditions in the home, and the number of conditions treated at home with injectable medicines continues to rise. It is important not to throw used needles in the trash, recycling or flush them down the toilet, as they can cause harm and damage to people and equipment. Children, adults, and pets are at risk for needle-stick injuries when sharps are disposed improperly at home or in public settings.
To reduce health risk to the public, Wisconsin requires all people to manage their sharps safely. It is illegal to put sharps in the trash or with your recyclables. Sharps must be packaged safely and treated to render the sharps as non-infectious, broken and unable to be reused. All sharps injuries should be taken seriously. Please help keep our community safe by properly disposing of your medical sharps by bringing them to the Monroe County Health Department. Please reach out with any questions to the Monroe County Health Department at 608-269-8666.
Find additional collection stations at https://wisconsindnr.shinyapps.io/sharpscollectorsite/ and follow the Monroe County Health Department Facebook and Instagram pages for more.
