Medical Waste Disposal At Home: How To Get Rid Of Stuff Right

Nothing against black garbage bags, but they've become emblematic of irresponsible waste disposal in contemporary culture. Like covering your eyes and imagining that this means no one can see you--hiding what we throw out does not make it disappear. It's time to stop this thoughtless deception. It may feel like a simple chore, but taking the garbage out willy nilly is hurting ourselves, our planet, and future generations. Before you tie the neck of that Hefty, you'd better know a thing or two about hazardous and medical waste disposal.

Here's a little quiz to start you off. Which of the following common household items are hazardous and require careful disposal of some kind?

Button batteries (used in watches, hearing aids, calculators, etc.)

Fertilizers with herbicides

Gasoline and other unwanted fuels

Herbicides

Household and automotive cleaning products

Insecticides

Oil-based paint

Paint thinners & solvents

Pesticides

Photographic chemicals

Rechargeable batteries

Swimming pool chemicals

Answer? If you said all of the above, you're right.

Don't discard hazardous waste into household trash. Your town or city most likely has a hazardous waste pick-up or drop-off day. Find out what guidelines should be followed for properly disposing of hazardous waste, and meanwhile:

Keep hazardous products in the original containers

Never mix chemical wastes

Never reuse any pesticide or chemical container for any other purposes as the residues remaining in the container can contaminate other materials.

Use non-hazardous alternatives whenever possible.

Now for medical waste disposal. Quiz 2: Which of the following needs special medical waste disposal?

Used personal hygiene products such as tissues, diapers, and feminine products

Gauze and dressing material containing small amounts of blood or other body secretions with no free flowing or unabsorbed liquid

Hair, nails, and extracted teeth

Answer? None of the above. Well, we like to keep you on your toes! And we don't want you to be paranoid, just careful.

Medical waste disposal guidelines need to be followed by anyone who gives injections to themselves or others at home, anyone undergoing IV therapy or dialysis, or anyone generating sharp or bloodied items in the course of administering home medical care. If you are in this situation, you are probably already involved in disposing of your needles or other objects in a sharps container that you drop-off, have picked up, or mail to a company for safe, proper disposal.

But any time there are soiled or bloody items, such as gauze, gloves and bandages, in your home, place those items in a tightly sealed, leak-proof plastic container or bag before you put them in the garbage. And make sure your garbage is in a sealed container, especially in warmer months, as blood will attract animals.

One more note. Another element of releasing the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality? Be considerate of your garbage collector. Any sharp item, whether it's an infected needle or not, can harm the real person doing the work to dispose of it after it leaves your home. And never, never put anything hazardous in a recycling bin!