Peabody preps for proper needle disposal

PEABODY – As of July 1, 2010, disposing home sharps in household or municipal waste will be prohibited under new regulations set by the State Department of Public Health, which could make everyday use of syringes and needles even more of an inconvenience.However, Peabody Health Director Sharon Cameron announced Tuesday that the city has received a sharps disposal kiosk for City Hall,”It looks just like a mailbox,” she said. “The kiosk allows people who use needles at home, such as diabetics, or for fertility drugs and chemotherapy, to dispose of them (safely).”The acquisition of the kiosk is in preparation for when the state prohibits home disposal of sharps. Currently, residents are allowed to dump their used syringes and needles in the trash along with the rest of their garbage. However, they had to place them in either a tin coffee can or some form of hard plastic, like a detergent bottle.Cameron believes that although residents are required to take those precautions, their disposal still puts the public at risk for serious and deadly infections.”(Sharps) have gone into the municipal waste stream where they potentially pose a hazard to people,” said Cameron, naming trash collectors as a prime victim.She says Peabody’s move to offer a safe, proper disposal option to their residents will improve the community’s overall health.”The benefit is removing it from the waste stream,” she said. “Doing so will reduce the likeliness to find sharps on playgrounds?It’ll make for a safer community.”Cameron said the kiosk itself was delivered and paid for by the state, while training staff and monitoring its use will be funded through the city’s health department. Its disposal will be handled through the public services.”We’ve also been speaking to some of the pharmacies in town about having them set up a point of sale return,” said Cameron, adding that a diabetic purchasing new sharps should be able to dispose of their old ones at the same time.Although the kiosk has already been delivered, it won’t be open for public use for at least a few more weeks, said Cameron, as city hall staff is still undergoing training for a higher level of awareness.And, when the kiosk does open, residents will still have to take the same safety precautions as before when disposing their used sharps, only trash collectors and the public won’t risk getting caught in the middle.For more information on sharp safety, log on to www.mass.gov/dph or call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617-624-6000.