Managing the Surge: Proper Needle Disposal in Public Spaces in the Wake of Ozempic’s Popularity

Recent demand for self-injectable prescriptions such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Avjoy, and others has caused the number of medical sharps administered outside of a clinical setting to skyrocket. This increase is in addition to the millions of people who use self-injectable medications to treat chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, allergies, migraines, skin conditions, and arthritis, among other conditions. In fact, a study from Research and Markets expects the injectables market to reach $150.65 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 10.5%.  

With an increase in the amount of sharps usage, society must quickly adapt to provide safe and secure disposal solutions to collect, transport and treat used medical sharps in a manner that protects the public and the environment. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that users should immediately place used needles and other sharps in a puncture-resistant sharps disposal container. This is a crucial step and should be made widely available to people out on the go to keep needles and other sharps out of landfills and protect people from accidental needlestick injuries.

Expanding Access to Sharps Disposal Containers Protects the Community

Life-saving medications such as insulin, epinephrine, and others often must be administered in a timely manner, regardless of location, meaning self-injections are often performed in public areas. The restrooms of communal places such as restaurants, airports, offices, retail spaces, and schools often become the private space for individuals with chronic conditions to quickly inject their medications.

The FDA also recommends that employers and business leaders provide sharps disposal containers in these spaces, among others, where people are more likely to throw away their used sharps in the trash. These practices are familiar in health settings because they are critical in protecting both healthcare professionals and patients, so the same level of safety should be met outside of a healthcare facility.

Making employees and guests aware of these containers is also crucial to ensure the containers are used and handled properly. Adding educational signage in a prominent place to make all community members aware of how to dispose of their sharps, what to do if someone does get pricked by a needle, and what happens to the used sharps is critical in making sure the containers are available for use on a long-term basis.

Right now, there are a variety of options to properly dispose of sharps generated in public restrooms. For one, mail-back programs offer convenient self-service and a variety of container sizes, in addition to on average being more cost-efficient than route-collection options. Business leaders can buy a sharps mail-back kit containing everything needed to collect sharps, including pre-filled shipping labels, and simply close and mail containers off when they are full. Without a sharps disposal container, users are left with no choice but to discard them in an unsafe manner. As a result, janitorial staff are at risk of coming into contact with these used sharps as well as other patrons.  

Needlestick injuries may cause exposure to dangerous, transmissible infections, such as HIV, and hepatitis B and C, posing serious health risks. Knowing these basic facts of the dangers of poorly managed sharps, it’s critical that businesses and local governments consider adding sharps containers in their restrooms.

Proper Sharps Disposal Provides Wider Benefits

While safely collecting and segregating used sharps is the first step in protecting the public, compliant handling and treatment helps protect the environment. By working with a trusted partner, organizations receive confirmation that the materials were treated properly. Preventing this outcome would not be possible, however, without the appropriate collection programs. This effort will support an organization’s reputation-building efforts and can be a great case study to use in corporate social responsibility reports, worker’s compensation insurance meetings, and recruitment and retention efforts for the workplace.

Employees are telling employers time and time again that they want to work for a company that is making a positive impact in the community. In particular, a study by Unily found that 83% of respondents believe their employer isn’t doing enough to tackle sustainability and that 65% of respondents are more likely to work for a company with a strong environmental policy.

Disposing of consumer-generated sharps safely in public spaces is a complex challenge requiring cooperation from various stakeholders, including businesses, waste management companies, healthcare providers, regulatory agencies, and the public. By developing effective sharps disposal methods and increasing awareness of the dangers of improper disposal, we can reduce the risks of needlestick and other sharps injuries to create safer and healthier environments in the public spaces we use every day.  

Waste360 is the leading source of waste and the recycling industry's voices. Submit your commentary or op-ed to Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Valentic at [email protected].