COEUR d’ALENE — When a woman pulled up to the bright red sharps bins at the Ramsey Transfer Station on Friday morning, Dave Husky checked that everything was in order.

The woman showed Husky how she’d packaged her garbage: in a hard plastic container, double-wrapped in gray plastic bags. She’d done it right. 

It might seem invasive. But checking that sharps are properly contained reduces the risk of needlesticks and the spread of infections and diseases. 

“Some people are protective of their garbage because it’s personal,” said Husky, Kootenai County Solid Waste operations manager. “But we have to handle it.” 

Sharps are devices with sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut skin. Needles, syringes, infusion sets, lancets and auto-injectors are all considered sharps. 

Kootenai County accepts used sharps from county residents, provided they meet the disposal requirements. 

Husky said the number of sharps that come through the transfer stations is on the rise. At the Ramsey Transfer Station, which can see up to 2,000 customers daily, employees empty the pair of 55-gallon sharps bins multiple times per week. 

It’s hard to determine the cause of the increase. Husky said multiple factors are at play, including a growing population and aging residents who generate more medical waste than they once did.

The county’s efforts to educate the public about the importance of separating sharps from other household waste could also account for some of the increase. 

“Once they’re educated, they’re super responsive,” Husky said of the public. 

County residents must place used sharps into plastic containers with thick walls. Containers made specifically for sharps are the best option, but laundry detergent bottles, milk jugs and bleach bottles are also acceptable. 

“We’re trying to protect the employees and the public,” Husky said. 

These containers must be clearly marked as sharps with stickers or in marker and securely closed so needles can’t fall out. They must be separate from general trash and placed individually into sharps bins located within recycle islands at transfer stations. 

Kootenai County does not handle or dispose of sharps from commercial sources, including sharps generated and collected by hospitals, clinics, dental practices, blood banks and veterinary clinics. 

Each piece of garbage that comes through the county transfer stations eventually leaves, including sharps. 

Sorting through waste at transfer stations and sending it to Fighting Creek Landfill for recycling or disposal is part of landfill diversion. This process minimizes the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills and extends their longevity. 

“When we close a landfill, we have to take care of it forever,” said Husky. “It’s a long-term environmental service to the county.” 

Info: kcgov.us/427/sharps-disposal-program 

    Kootenai County accepts used sharps from county residents, provided they meet the requirements for disposal.
  

    Sharps must be placed securely in plastic containers with thick walls for disposal.