PALMDALE – Local seniors filled up a 43 gallon container of sharps and an eight gallon container of expired medicines at the third annual “Sharps & Pharmaceutical Waste Round-Up,” held on Thursday, Sept. 20 at Legacy Commons for Active Seniors.
The event, sponsored City of Palmdale and Waste Management of the Antelope Valley, was held to help seniors properly and safely dispose of their used needles (sharps) and pharmaceutical waste.
“We had a good turnout of seniors once again this year,” said Palmdale Administrative Analyst Ben Lucha. “This event has really helped get the message out about how to properly dispose of these kinds of waste items.”
Pharmaceuticals include pills, prescription medications, liquid medicines and syrups, diagnostic agents, veterinary medications, nutritional supplements, and creams and ointments.
Home-generated sharps waste means hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications or testing.
Since Sept. 1, 2008, California state law has prohibited the disposal of home-generated sharps waste in the trash, recycling, green waste, or large commercial dumpsters.
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