According to the College's "Waste Disposal Procedures" a sharp is any glass, metal, plastic instrument or item that can cut or has the potential to cut, puncture, scratch or abrade skin, whether it is contaminated or not. Using this definition a pipette tip is considered a sharp and must be placed in a sharps container. If you have any doubt, use a sharps container for disposal.

No, all syringes whether used or not must be disposed of in a sharps container.

For areas on the main campus that are serviced or managed by the College’s Housekeeping Services Department (A-E, LBRC, S, Kipps Bay, WGC, Whitney, Oxford) red bags for regulated medical waste can be obtained by contacting Housekeeping Services at (646) 962-9947 (ext. 1-9947 internally). These bags come pre-printed with the College’s name and address to be used for College-generated biological waste. The sizes available from the College are:

• 23” x 24” Red Bag Liner
• 33 x 40” Red Bag Liner

For areas on the main campus that are serviced by NYP Housekeeping (areas within NYP buildings), red bags can be purchase through NYP General Stores. You can order in person in Room AN-007 or by phone at 746-1961. The three types of red bags that are available through General Stores are:

• 117018 BAG LINER RED 15 X 9 X 24 WC 500 EA/CA (5923XHRP)
• 147900 BAG LINER RED 30 X 36 WC 250 EA/CA (AD13036RPCP)
• 125745 BAG LINER RED 39 X 48 WC 100 EA/CA (D13948RPC)

For areas that are located off campus (425 E. 61st Street, New York Blood Center, etc.) red bags for regulated medical waste should be obtained from the service provider that is removing the waste from the facility. These bags must be properly labeled with the generator’s company name and address prior to leaving the facility.

To replace sharps containers at no cost, submit an online Sharps Collection Request Form. Complete the Contact Information section of the form and specify the number of large, regular, or small sharps containers to be replaced. You will receive an email confirmation of your request. An empty container will be left for each full container collected.

To request additional sharps containers at no cost, submit an online Sharps Collection Request Form. Complete the Contact Information section of the form and specify the number of large, regular, or small sharps containers requested in the comments section. You will receive an email confirmation of your request.

WCMC areas other than the Weill Greenberg Center (1305 York Avenue): Sharps containers are collected and exchanged on Wednesday and Thursdays of each week. An online Sharps Collection Request Form must be submitted by Tuesday at 5:00PM to be collected that Wednesday and Thursday.

Weill Greenberg Center (1305 York Avenue): Sharps containers are automatically collected and exchanged on Tuesdays of each week for all known sharps container locations

Information about the available sharps containers can be seen at the Sharps Collection Request Form.

In order for EHS to ensure all collection requests are completed in a timely manner, an online Sharps Collection Request Form must be submitted for each collection. Collections submitted by Wednesday at 5:00PM are collected that Thursday or Friday.

Proper disposal of household sharps, (e.g. needles, syringes, lancets) prevents exposure to children, pets, and sanitation workers and protects the health of the environment. Based on guidance from both the New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation, the following steps should be taken to properly dispose of household sharps:

• Place all unwanted sharps into a sharps container which can be purchased from your local drugstore.
• Do not flush used sharps down the toilet or place loose sharps in the garbage or recycling containers
• Do not bend, cut or re-cap used sharps as this represents an unnecessary risk of injury.
• If you do not have a sharps container, place sharps into a plastic bottle that cannot be broken or punctured, such as a bleach or laundry detergent bottle. Write "CONTAINS SHARPS" on the outside of the bottle, and seal the cap closed with tape. You should place sharps into the appropriate container as soon as you use them to prevent exposure to others in the home.
• Once full, bring the sharps container to a safe disposal site - do not place the sharps container in the normal trash or recycling. Please refer to the Department of Health's list of safe disposal sites in New York, which is available on their website or by calling their Growing Up Healthy hotline at (800) 522-5006 or TTY: (800) 655-1789. The Department of Environmental Conservation also provides guidance on their website.

Similar guidance is available for residents of New Jersey and Connecticut.