Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Household Needles and Sharps

Save for Collection

The preferred method for the management of used needles and other sharps is to collect them in a sharps container and send them to a commercial medical waste disposal company for disposal.  There are many commercially available mail-back programs available, as well as local medical waste disposal companies that you can contract with to pick up and dispose of these wastes for you.  If available in your area, pick up service providers may be found in the phone directory generally under a listing like "Waste Disposal - Medical."

Some mail-back disposal systems may be available at your local pharmacy or through your health care provider.  Other options include, but are not limited to:

AllegroMedical.com (1-800-861-3211)  http://www.allegromedical.com
Becton-Dickinson (BD) (1-888-232-2737)  http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/
EnviroMed Safety and Compliance (1-877-340-2430)  http://www.enviromedinc.com 
GRP & Associates  http://www.sharpsdisposal.com 
Medasend Biomedical (1-877-340-2430)  http://www.medasend.com
Sharps Compliance, Inc. (1-800-772-5657)  http://www.sharpsinc.com
Stericycle, Inc. (1-866-783-7422)  http://www.stericycle.com/sharps-disposal.html
Waste and Compliance Management, Inc. (1-877-436-5480)  http://www.homesharpsdisposal.com
Waste Management Inc. (1-866-699-6466)  http://www.thinkgreenfromhome.com/SyringesAndLancets.cfm
XMED Disposal, Inc. (1-866-735-9709)  http://www.xmeddisposal.com

Mail-back systems generally include a sharps container, packaging materials and pre-paid shipping.  Be sure to follow the instructions included with the kit.

At this time, there are three local collection programs that accept sharps from households.  One program is at the Mesa County Household Hazardous Waste facility in Grand Junction.  These services are restricted to residents of Mesa County.  If you would like more information on this program, call 256-9543 or visit their website at http://www.mesacounty.us/swm/.  Another program is in Larimer County and is available to residents of Larimer County.  If you would like more information on this program, call 498-5773 or 498-5760 or visit their website at http://www.larimer.org/solidwaste/ .  The third program is in El Paso County and is available to residents of El Paso and Teller counties.  If you would like more information, call 520-7878 or visit their website at  http://adm.elpasoco.com/Environmental Division/Household Hazardous Waste/Documents/Flyers/Sharps Flyer.pdf

Household Medical Waste Compliance Bulletin
Household Medical Waste Frequently Asked Questions

These procedures are intended for used needles and other sharps from a household only. 

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