Proper disposal of household sharps, (e.g. needles, syringes, lancets) prevents exposure to children, pets, and sanitation workers and protects the health of the environment. Based on guidance from both the New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation, the following steps should be taken to properly dispose of household sharps:

• Place all unwanted sharps into a sharps container which can be purchased from your local drugstore.
• Do not flush used sharps down the toilet or place loose sharps in the garbage or recycling containers
• Do not bend, cut or re-cap used sharps as this represents an unnecessary risk of injury.
• If you do not have a sharps container, place sharps into a plastic bottle that cannot be broken or punctured, such as a bleach or laundry detergent bottle. Write "CONTAINS SHARPS" on the outside of the bottle, and seal the cap closed with tape. You should place sharps into the appropriate container as soon as you use them to prevent exposure to others in the home.
• Once full, bring the sharps container to a safe disposal site - do not place the sharps container in the normal trash or recycling. Please refer to the Department of Health's list of safe disposal sites in New York, which is available on their website or by calling their Growing Up Healthy hotline at (800) 522-5006 or TTY: (800) 655-1789. The Department of Environmental Conservation also provides guidance on their website.

Similar guidance is available for residents of New Jersey and Connecticut.