Home-Generated Sharps Waste
The State of California does not currently regulate home-generated medical
waste, with the exception of sharps. The Department of Public Health (CDPH) has
the authority to approve locations as points of consolidation for the collection
of home-generated sharps waste, which, after collection, shall be transported
and treated as medical waste. A consolidation location approved pursuant to
Health and Safety Code Section 117904 is known as a “home-generated sharps
consolidation point.” A home-generated sharps consolidation point must comply
with all of the following requirements: (1) All sharps waste shall be placed in
sharps containers, and (2) Sharps containers ready for disposal shall not be
held for more than seven days without the written approval of the enforcement
agency.
The operator of a home-generated sharps consolidation point approved by the
State Department of Public Health shall not be considered the generator of that
waste.
CDPH's Medical Waste Management Program provides support and oversight to
home-generated sharps consolidation points located in the 25 counties and one city (PDF), in which the State acts as the local enforcement
agency. See the Map (GIF) to determine, by jurisdiction,
where there is State or local enforcement of the MWMA.
For those counties in which CDPH is the enforcement agency, an application
for a home-generated sharps consolidation point-CDPH 8663 (PDF) is available here. Also available
is a list of home-generated sharps consolidation points located throughout
California (PDF). However, for more information
about a home-generated sharps consolidation point in your community, call the Local Enforcement
Agency in your county. In addition, Safe Needle Disposal maintains a searchable database of consolidation points throughout California.
Home Generated Pharmaceutical Waste Collection