Install Safe Disposal Boxes for Sharp Items ($30,000)

Committee: Environment

Cost: $30,000

Location: Six high-need places with waste collection for up to three years.

Short Description: Install boxes for safe disposal of needles, lancets, or other sharp medical tools. These boxes would be located in high-need areas to provide more safe, convenient disposal options for sharps in the city.

Long Description: 

Medical “sharps” are used for a variety of reasons, including diabetes management, allergy response (epi-pens), and intravenous drug use.  These then need to be disposed of safely. In Massachusetts it is illegal to dispose of needles, syringes, or lancets in the regular trash.  This proposal will install six new disposal locations that are convenient to the public.  Installing durable, secure sharps disposal boxes will make public spaces safer and cleaner for all residents, reducing the number of sharps found discarded in parks, playgrounds, public squares, and transit stations. 

Improper disposal puts residents, children, pets, and city workers at risk of injury and exposure to harmful substances. Currently, the fire department responds to calls for needle pickup, which places unnecessary demands on their time and resources. More sharps boxes will reduce the number of pickup calls. The boxes will be placed in six areas to be determined by the city based on their expected use.

An image of a sharps disposal box in Cambridge.