sharps disposal in jackson county is changing locaction
As of March 1, 2024, Jackson County Recycling Center will no longer be offering medical sharps disposal. This service will be transferring to Jackson County Public Health at 421 County Road R in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. This service will no longer be provided to the public for free due to a significant increase in disposal costs, but Jackson County Public Health is committed to continue offering this important service to the public at a low cost.
Access to sharps disposal at Jackson County Public Health will be different from the process previously in place at the Jackson County Recycling Center. Sharps disposal will be open during regular Jackson County Public Health business hours; Monday through Friday, from 8am to 4:30pm. Individuals can bring their sharps to the front desk during business hours to dispose of their sharps for a small fee. Sharps must be in a biohazard container or another container made of thick plastic and unable to be pierced. Biohazard containers will be available for purchase at the front desk.
Proper disposal of medical sharps is important to ensuring the well-being of the community. Medical sharps are instruments intended to cut or penetrate the skin, including, but not limited to needles, syringes, and lancets. Medical sharps pose an injury risk to anyone that comes into contact with them. When improperly disposed of in the household trash, recycling, or flushed down the toilet, they can cause harm and damage. Sharps that end up in the waste system can injure waste haulers, landfill operators, recycling facility workers, and others. Sharps flushed down the toilet can cause problems in plumbing and wastewater treatment plants, or may even end up on beaches posing risk to humans and animals. Many people use medical sharps in their day to day lives to help manage different health conditions, so knowing proper disposal methods is important!
To reduce health risk to the public, Wisconsin requires all people to manage their sharps safely. All sharps injuries should be taken seriously. It is illegal to put sharps in the trash or with your recyclables. Sharps must be packaged safely and treated to render the sharps as non-infectious, broken and unable to be reused.
Please help keep our community safe by properly disposing of your medical sharps. Find a sharps collection station near you, by visiting: https://wisconsindnr.shinyapps.io/sharpscollectorsite/ .
If you have questions about this change in location, you can reach Jackson County Public Health at 715-284-4301.
Jackson County: Healthy People, Strong Community.