Over the last few years, Clark County's waste hauler Waste Connections has noticed a trend: an increase in the number of needles and medical sharps found in Clark County's waste and recycling in the fall months. When not correctly disposed of, sharps such as needles, intravenous (IV) tubing, scalpel blades, and lancets can be a major hazard for the workers who handle your waste and recycling. If you have a medical condition that requires the use of needles or any other sharp medical instrument, be sure to dispose of them properly. Diseases such as hepatitis B and C and HIV can be spread as the result of an accidental needle stick from a sharp that was improperly disposed of in the garbage or recycling. Victims of sharps related injuries face the cost of post-injury testing, disease prevention measures, and counseling, even if no infection or disease was caused by the exposure.
How to safely dispose of medical sharps:
- Never put medical sharps in your garbage or recycling containers
- Used sharps should be put into a designated and secure container immediately following use. When available, us an approved sharps container. If you do not have access to an approved sharps container, use a container with a well-secure lid (preferably one that screws on). Rigid plastic containers are best for ensuring sharps do not poke through the container and cause harm to you or waste workers. Good examples of rigid plastic containers include milk jugs, juice bottles, and detergent bottles. Avoid using glass or aluminum containers, as they are easily shattered or crushed.
- Label your container "WARNING SHARPS - DO NOT RECYCLE"
- Make sure to never overfill a sharps disposal container, or force materials into the container. When the container is full, no materials should stick out of the top.
- Dispose of a full sharps container at:
by Author
Central Transfer & Recycling Center
11034 NE 117th Ave
Vancouver, WA
360-256-8482
Sharps are accepted at any time during regular hours of operation
Monday - Friday: 6 am to 6 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8 am to 4 pm
by Author
West Van Materials Recovery Center
6601 NW Old Lower River Road
Vancouver, WA
360-737-1727
Sharps are accepted at any time during regular hours of operation
Monday - Friday: 6 am to 6 pm
Saturday: 8 am to 4 pm
by Author
Washougal Transfer Station
4020 South Grant Street
Washougal, WA
360-835-2500
Sharps are accepted at any time during regular hours of operation
Wednesday - Friday: 7 am to 5 pm
Saturday: 8 am to 4 pm
Sharps drop-off at the transfer stations is only available to residents of Clark County. If you are a school, business, or other organization, sharps collected at your site must be disposed of via a commercial hazardous waste disposal service. For more information about sharps disposal for businesses, organizations, sharps mail-back programs, and more, go to this site from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or this site from the Washington State Department of Ecology.