Effective July 1, 2021, San Bernardino County residents can safely dispose of their used sharps by creating their own container. This is an alternative to plastic bio-hazard sharps containers.
Containers used for disposal must be a 2-gallon or smaller non-food type container. It must be a sealable (screw top with puncture-resistant lid), leak-resistant, heavy-duty plastic container such as a laundry soap or bleach bottle. Containers can be used to dispose of needles, lancets, and syringes, which must be completely spent, with no liquid remaining, including EpiPens. Milk containers, water bottles, glass containers, and metal cans are unapproved containers.
When a container is ¾ filled, seal the lid tightly and tape the container closed. An approved biohazardous waste label must be placed on both sides of the heavy-duty, puncture-resistant container. Labels can be downloaded by visiting www.sbcfire.org/greensb or obtained at any of the HHW facilities during hours of operation.
Full sharps containers can be taken to a San Bernardino County HHW Collection facility for proper disposal. For more information, please contact the HHW Collection facility from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at (909) 382-5401, 1(800) Oily Cat or visit www.sbcfire.org/greensb.
