Successful Curbside Sharps Collection Program

1. Successful Curbside Sharps Collection Program Kim Perry Integrated Waste Coordinator City of Elk Grove CRRA Conference August 3, 2009

2. Sharps Disposal Ban • New Law: On September 1, 2008, CA state law issued a ban on sharps disposal from trash and/or recycling containers (Section 118286 of the California Health and Safety Code). • Sharps are defined as hypodermic needles, pen needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household.

3. State Agency Request • At the time of the ban, the CIWMB requested local hospitals, doctors’ offices, health clinics, and pharmacies to accept residential sharps free of charge; however, few locations have agreed to take-back sharps. • In Elk Grove, medical establishments are not willing to be take-back locations unless the City agrees to pay for the cost of the program.

4. Residents Using Medical Sharps • Nationally, 2 billion needles and syringes are used annually, which equates to 2.66% of the population.* • In California, 355 million home-generated medical sharps need to be disposed of annually. The majority of which are disposed of in household trash and recycle containers. * • If the City of Elk Grove is consistent with the rest of the state and the nation, we may have as many as 3,700 residents using medical sharps. *Based on information posted on California Stewardship Council website--www.calpsc.org

5. Burden of Compliance on Cities • State law places proper sharps disposal on local jurisdictions to ensure compliance. • Based on 3,700 Elk Grove residents possibly using sharps, if a sharps disposal company was hired, the cost could easily reach $277,500 annually. (assuming one container discarded per person, per year, at the rate of $75/container).* *$75/container is based on the research conducted by our trash hauler, Allied Waste. It is lowest cost found to be paid by cities currently offering similar services. 

6. Initiation of Program • Our two local HHW facilities were the only options made available to our residents for sharps disposal and the fee to dispose is $4.85/lb. (including the weight of the container). • The City of Elk Grove and Allied Waste, our residential trash hauler, discussed the option of providing a door-to-door sharps pick-up program as a pilot project. • The program would provide a unique service to residents and would allow Allied to determine costs of an ongoing program. • Allied agreed to provide the service free of charge to residents and the City, provided the City agree to pay for marketing costs. • This program would benefit residents by allowing them to safely dispose of medical sharps in accordance with state law.

7. Initiation of Program (cont.) • The City and Allied worked cooperatively to design the program and to address safety concerns that could potentially develop. • A major point of discussion was whether or not residents had to be home for their pick-up appointment . The downside of this option was that the majority of residents work during pick-up hours of 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. • It was decided that leaving the container at the doorstep was the best option; however, concerns are still voiced about minors possibly finding the container “attractive” and removing it from resident’s door-steps.

8. Initiation of Program (cont.) • Council approved door-to-door sharps pick-ups on October 22, 2008, and an amendment was made to Allied’s franchise agreement to include the program. • The CA Department of Public Health issued Allied all of the required permits to become a collection location. • Allied chose Stericycle as their sharps disposal service and a Stericycle drop-box was installed at Allied’s transfer station. • Allied began taking appointments for sharps pick-ups on January 1, 2009.

9. Details of the Program • Resident calls Allied for an appointment. • Container must be picked up on regular trash service day. • Container can be picked up by Allied between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. • Allied drivers can pick up full containers from a resident’s front doorstep or by Allied going to the front door and being handed the container by the resident. • Allied requires that residents leaving their containers at the doorstep, place the container in a plastic or paper bag so it is inconspicuous to passers-by. • If a container does not meet the specific requirements, the Allied driver will tag the container as uncollectable and will not remove it.

10. Resident’s Rules for Pick-up • Sharps must be in an approved container, which can be purchased from a doctor’s office or pharmacy. • The container cannot be placed curbside. • Sharps must be completely enclosed in the container. • Container must be closed and sealed. It cannot be broken split, or damaged. • Container must be labeled as “Sharps”. • The container must not contain any prescription drugs.

11. Drop-off Option • Residents may choose to deliver their container(s) to Allied Waste’s Transfer Station in Sacramento. • Residents show their I.D. at the scale house (as proof of residency) and takes their container to the receptionist who logs the receipt of the container and shows the resident how to deposit it into the drop-box. • Allied has approved sharps containers available for purchase if resident does not have their sharps in the proper type of container.

12. Communication to Resident New program included in March 2009 utility bill insert.

13. Communication to Resident (cont.) Program highlighted in March issue of City newsletter.

14. Communication to Resident (cont.) Featured on City website -- egtrashrecycleservices.org

15. Number of Pick-ups to Date Elk Grove Population: 141,430 Residential Trash Accounts: 44,500 homes

16. Allied’s Costs to Date • Each sharps container pick-up and disposal, costs Allied Waste $54.22. • For 143 disposals, total cost for first six months was $7,753.46. • Marketing costs to City have been minimal.

17. Safety Record to Date • During the first six months, Allied did not experience any safety issues that required response from Code Enforcement. • We did encounter two incidents of sharps spilling out of the top of the container, and resident was advised at the doorstep to correct the situation before collection. • We have had three reported problems of residents throwing sharps into their trash or recycle carts. When this occurs, Code Enforcement goes to the resident’s home to discuss proper disposal methods. • There have not been any reported removals of sharps containers by minors or passers-by, which was a major concern.

18. Contact Information Kim Perry City of Elk Grove 8401 Laguna Palms Way Elk Grove, CA 95758 916-478-2289 kperry@elkgrovecity.org Thank you!