Effective September 1, 2008, it will be illegal to dispose of sharps, (hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications) in your trash, recycling, or yard waste containers.

We highly recommend utilizing a safe sharps disposal-by-mail system.  There are several  companies providing this service, here are three:

http://www.sharpsinc.com/   

http://www.sharpsdisposal.com/

http://veoliaes-ts.com/recyclepak

You may also collect your sharps and take them to a LA County Household Hazardous Waste Roundup.  You can get location and date information from their website along with valuable information regarding other hazardous materials.

 NEVER PUT SHARPS IN A RECYCLING BIN!

Although not recommended, until the law is in effect, it remains legal to dispose of sharps waste packaged in leak proof puncture resistant containers in your household garbage.  We recommend sterilizing the sharps by adding a solution of 1 cup household bleach to your sharps container, top it off with plain water till all the sharps are immersed, let it stand for 20 minutes, then empty the bleach solution down the drain and seal the container before placing it in your garbage.

For information about sharps and lancing devices, you can also visit the FDA's website:

http://www.fda.gov/diabetes/lancing.html

For more detailed information regarding the new law, please visit:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/05-06/bill/sen/sb_1301-1350/sb_1305_bill_20060712_chaptered.html