How to Choose a Right Sharps Container

Environment Services

When we say "don't be basic," we're not trying to make you feel bad about your love of pumpkin-spiced lattes - they're fantastic! Rather, we're hoping to persuade you to look beyond the same, outdated disposable sharps containers that have been accessible in healthcare for the previous 2-3 decades. Vintage isn't cute when it comes to safety solutions! It's time to look into more current sharps containers.



The demands for healthcare waste management are increasing, as are the volumes of sharps waste created each day. All used sharps waste created in a healthcare setting that has come into contact with blood or body fluids must be disposed of in a sharps container that meets the standards. However, one prevalent misperception is that sharps containers are only for syringes. The medical term "sharps" refers to any sharp-pointed device that might cut, pierce, or penetrate the skin; this includes broken capillary tubes, culture slides, disposable scalpels, and blades, and hypodermic needles and lancets. In this blog, we will walk you through all of the variables to consider when selecting the safest sharps container for your facility - choose a modern solution that is anything but basic.

Which sort of Sharps Container should I use?
The FDA's sharps disposal guidelines state:
  • Sharps should only be disposed of in a sharps container.
  • Sharps containers must be sturdy, puncture-resistant, and closed with a tight-fitting cover.
  • To collect used sharps devices, use a standards-approved sharps container.
Disposable or Reusable?
Sharps container options vary in the United States, however, they all fall under one category: disposable or reusable. In some healthcare settings, such as a tiny dental clinic that generates a very low amount of sharps, a compact half-gallon disposable sharps container is preferred due to the length of time it takes to fill. However, at big surgical clinics or hospitals with huge volumes of sharps collected, a 2 or 4-gallon reusable container is the unstated norm due to the amount of safety technology included in the design of a reusable sharps container.

While sharps waste volume and user efficiency are important elements in selecting a proper sharps container, environmental impact is also a major issue. In a disposable sharps container, the plastic container itself accounts for about 33% of the overall waste volume! A recent study conducted at Loma Linda Hospital in California1 found that switching from disposable sharps containers to reusable sharps containers saved 45,300+ containers and eliminated plastic from landfills.

Cabinet or Cabinet-Free?
The introduction of inferior containers without enough safety has resulted in some "workarounds," one of which is external cabinetry to house the sharps container. One of the most significant safety and infection concerns that this presents is that cabinets can accumulate sharps directly through gaps between the container and cabinetry, injuring the user when opened, and that cabinets are rarely cleaned, acting as a source of disease transmission.

Our advice is to select a sharps container that is safe to use independently of any additional cabinetry and, if reusable, goes through a washing process that achieves the highest levels of disinfection to guarantee infection risks are reduced.

Choosing a Sharps Container Might Often Depend On Location
Sharps containers must include safety measures that are appropriate for the environment in which they will be utilized. A sharps container in a patient room, for example, must be restricted to hand access because patients and visitors will have access to it. In non-public access areas, such as pharmacies or surgical rooms, where staff is adequately trained in safety procedures, open-access access containers are more commonly used to allow for quick deposition of sharps in fast-paced environments, as well as the collection of large or bulky objects during surgery and dialysis.

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