What should you do with a sharps container when it's three quarters full?

• Remove from clinical area and put in a safe storage area
• Do not dump the sharps container, as this can lead to reuse, misuse or accidental needlestick, such as children searching for food. Needlestick injuries several weeks after initial needle use can lead to blood-borne virus infection as the viruses can survive outside the body for a few weeks
• Replace with another sharps bin

Question: How could you dispose of sharps containers?

Answer: Disposal methods for sharps containers include:

• Incineration then disposing of ashes in a covered hole
  • Plastic (PVC) syringes can’t be incinerated
• Encapsulation:
  • Cement (mortar), plastic, foam or clay is poured into the sharps container until completely filled
  • When the material has hardened, the container is sealed and may be buried
• Autoclaving
  • Autoclaving and then reuse of needles is discouraged unless resources are extremely limited
  • Cleaning and autoclaving needles is difficult and risks injury to staff and possible infection to future patients