Properly dispose of household medical waste

April 19, 2017 · 0 Comments

The Region of Peel would like to remind residents who generate household medical waste and sharps that they need to properly dispose of them.
Plastics that have been used for household medical waste cannot go in recycling. They must be double-bagged and placed in the garbage.
“The Region of Peel has seen a spike in the amount of this type of waste that is being placed in recycling since we introduced our carts,” Manager of Waste Program Planning Erwin Pascual said. “If you’re not sure how to dispose of an item, visit peelregion.ca/waste and use our ‘how to sort your waste’ tool.”
Household medical waste (other than sharps) includes dialysis tubing, filters, and disposable towels and sheets, colostomy bags, IV bags and tubing, gastric and nasal tubes, and soiled dressings and incontinence products.
Residents who use sharps (needles, syringes and lancets) should obtain a free biohazard container from one of the Region’s six Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) so that they can:
• place their sharps in it,
• return the biohazard container filled with the sharps to a CRC for free disposal, and
• get a free replacement biohazard container.
The sharps should not be placed in any other container or cart.
Residents can also visit pharmacies participating in the Ontario Sharps Collection Program for a similar biohazard container service. (Check: healthsteward.ca/returns/Ontario)
If residents have more household medical waste than will fit in their garbage, they should contact the Region at 905-584-2216 or wasteinquiry@peelregion.ca to inquire about how to be added to the Region’s medical waste exemption list.