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Guide · Homeowners, landlords, business owners, parents

Needles and sharps found on your property: what to do

Finding a used needle in a yard, a parking lot, a rental unit or a public restroom is unsettling. The main risks are a needlestick injury and, less commonly, exposure to bloodborne infections. A few simple steps reduce that risk. This guide covers what to do, how sharps are disposed of, and what to do if someone is stuck. It is general information; for medical questions, contact a health care provider.

First, keep people away

Keep children, pets and others away from the area. If you are in a public space or a business, mark the spot or stand nearby until someone can deal with it safely. Do not try to kick a needle aside or pick it up with bare hands. If you find a large number of needles, or signs of a drug lab such as chemical containers and tubing, leave and call law enforcement.

Decide whether to handle it yourself

For a single needle in an accessible spot, many people choose to dispose of it themselves with care. For many needles, needles in hard-to-reach places such as under furniture, in carpet or in landscaping, or sharps mixed with other waste, it is safer to call a professional. Businesses and landlords should follow their own procedures and keep staff who are not trained and equipped away from sharps.

If you dispose of a single needle

Use a container that will not be pierced. An FDA-cleared sharps container is best. If one is not available, the FDA notes that some organizations and community guidelines recommend a heavy-duty plastic household container, such as a laundry detergent bottle. Any container should be heavy-duty plastic, stay upright, resist leaks, have a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, and be labeled to warn that it holds sharps.

Wear sturdy gloves if you have them, but remember that gloves do not stop a needle. Use tongs or pliers to pick up the needle, point first and away from you, and drop it into the container without holding the container in your other hand where the needle could reach it. Do not try to recap, bend or break the needle, or remove it from the syringe. Close the lid and wash your hands with soap and water.

What not to do

The FDA advises never to put loose needles or other sharps in household trash or recycling bins, and never to flush them. Sharps in trash bags injure sanitation workers and recycling sorters. Use heavy-duty plastic rather than glass, and do not overfill a sharps container; when it is about three-quarters full, it is ready for disposal.

How to dispose of the container

Disposal rules differ between communities. The FDA lists options that may be available, such as drop-off sites at some pharmacies, hospitals, health departments, medical waste facilities and police or fire stations; household hazardous waste facilities; mail-back programs using approved containers; and residential special waste pickup in some areas. Check with your local solid waste department or health department for options near you. Tennessee's solid waste rules require sharps to be packaged in puncture-proof containers before landfill disposal.

If someone is stuck by a needle

Stay calm. Wash the area with soap and water right away. CDC guidance for blood exposures also advises rinsing splashes to the nose, mouth or skin with water and flushing eyes with clean water or saline.

Then get a medical evaluation promptly, the same day. Call your doctor, go to urgent care or an emergency department, and explain what happened. A clinician can assess the risk and decide whether testing, vaccination or preventive medicine is appropriate. Some preventive treatments work best when started as soon as possible after exposure, so do not wait to see if symptoms develop. If you can do so safely, keep the needle in a sharps container in case the clinician asks about it.

Children and needles

Teach children not to touch needles or syringes they find, and to tell an adult right away. If a child is stuck, follow the same steps: wash with soap and water and get medical care promptly. Try to stay calm, as children take their cues from adults, and let the clinician know the child's vaccination history if you have it.

Needles inside a home or rental unit

Needles found during a move-out, an estate cleanout or a tenant turnover are often hidden in furniture, drawers, mattresses, clothing and bathroom fixtures. Clearing these spaces by hand is a common cause of needlestick injuries. Where sharps are suspected throughout a unit, a professional search and removal is safer. Landlords and property managers should not send maintenance staff to clear sharps unless they are trained, equipped and covered by an exposure control plan under the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard.

Businesses and workplaces

Employers whose workers can reasonably be expected to encounter contaminated sharps, such as custodial staff in restrooms, are expected to address that exposure under the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard, enforced in Tennessee through TOSHA. That includes training, protective equipment, sharps containers where needed, and post-exposure evaluation and follow-up for employees who have a needlestick. Employers who keep OSHA injury logs must also keep a sharps injury log.

What the risk actually is

Being stuck by a discarded needle is frightening, but it helps to keep the risk in proportion. The concern is bloodborne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, and the risk depends on many factors that a clinician can assess, including the type of injury and the circumstances in which the needle was found. That is why prompt medical evaluation is the right step, rather than trying to judge the risk yourself. Hepatitis B vaccination, which many people already have, offers protection against one of these infections; your clinician can check your status.

Preventing repeat finds

If needles keep appearing on a property, look at what areas are being used and why. Improved lighting, securing vacant spaces and regular inspection can help. Some businesses install wall-mounted sharps disposal containers in restrooms. Local health departments and harm-reduction programs may be able to advise on community resources.

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Call 615-914-0790 or email contact@newdawnbiorestoration.com. We serve Middle Tennessee.

This page is general information, not legal, medical, or insurance advice. Requirements change; verify with the agency listed before acting.

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