Calif. DVMs urged to advise clients of new medical waste law
Caution clients about a new law that makes it illegal to dispose of home-generated sharps in trash or recycling bins.
Sacramento, Calif. — The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is encouraging veterinarians to advise clients of changes to the state's home-generated sharps waste (HGSW) law.
The new law took effect Sept. 1, making it illegal to dispose of HGSW in trash or recycling bins. Sharps must be taken in an approved container to a collection center. HGSW includes hypodermic, pen and intravenous needles, lancets and other devices used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications to humans or animals.
Clients whose pets are diabetic or require any kind of blood testing or regular injection should be aware of the law change, and the CVMA says veterinary hospitals could offer to sell sharps containers to clients for collecting their HGSW. But, the CVMA cautions, hospitals should not accept any HGSW for disposal unless they are an official "home-generated sharps consolidation point," which would require compliance with state code specifications.
Veterinarians are urged to direct clients to state-approved consolidation centers, which can be found on the state's Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov.
