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Sharps Program Offered in City of Palmdale

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Contributed by: John Mlynar on 9/12/2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY OF PALMDALE
NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT: John Mlynar
PHONE: 661/267-5115
DATE: September 12, 2008

The City of Palmdale has partnered with the County of Los Angeles to implement a home-generated sharps waste management program. Home-generated sharps waste means hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household including a multifamily residence or household.

Since Sept. 1, 2008, California state law has prohibited the disposal of home-generated sharps waste in the trash, recycling, green waste, or large commercial dumpsters. The new law augments the existing Household Hazardous/E Waste Management Program.

"We are happy to have the County as a partner to our community addressing the proper disposal of sharps," said Director of Public Works Mike Mischel. "Without programs such as this one in place, sharps pose a significant hazard to our community, especially towards those who provide vital services for our health and wellbeing, such as the people who work in our landfills and those who collect our solid waste, recyclables, and green waste."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year over 8 million people across the country use over 3 billion sharps in their homes. These include medicinal needles, syringes, and lancets, to manage various medical conditions that range from cancer to diabetes to AIDS (HIV) and more.

The new program will provide an easy and convenient means for residents to properly dispose of their sharps waste. The program will provide residents with free State-approved sharps waste disposal containers. Free mail back containers will also be available for qualified elderly and disabled persons.

More than 100 distribution sites for the sharps waste containers have been established, which include the County's mobile Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events, Antelope Valley Environmental Collection Center (AVECC), various Goodwill Stores, the City of Los Angeles' permanent "SAFE" centers, and a variety of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Centers.

Residents may take the filled sharps containers to designated State-certified collection sites, including the County's mobile HHW events, AVECC, the City of Los Angeles' permanent "SAFE" centers, and designated Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Centers.

The program is administered by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and is funded in part by a grant from the California Intergrated Waste Management Board.

Some tips for the safe disposal of home-generated sharps waste include:

· Use only State-approved sharps waste disposal containers. Check availability at the County's designated distribution sites or ask your pharmacist or doctor about them.

· If you have to use a plastic bottle, do not use water bottles. They are made of plastic that will puncture. Use a clean bleach or detergent bottle. Seal the top with tape and label the container "SHARPS".

· Do not fill your container to the top, only until it is about 3/4 full. Seal it securely.

· Do NOT flush your sharps waste or medications down the toilet or drain.

· Do NOT place your sharps waste in the trash, green waste, or recycling bin.

Keep your sharps waste containers out of reach of children and pets.

For more information, call the City of Palmdale at 267-5300 or visit www.CityofPalmdale.org or www.888CleanLA.com.

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