Sharps Disposal

If you use injectables for medical reasons and need access to a sharps disposal container, please contact Health Services at 970-351-1919. (containers offered free through Student Health Services for students, staff, and faculty)

Used needles and other sharps are dangerous to people and pets if not disposed of safely. Used sharps can injure people and spread infections that cause serious health conditions. The most common infections from sharps are:

• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• HIV

Safe sharps disposal is important whether you are at home, at work, at school, traveling, or in other public places such as hotels, parks, restaurants, and dining rooms.

Never place loose needles and other sharps (those that are not placed in a sharps disposal containers) in the household public trash cans or recycling bins, and never flush them down the toilet. This puts trash and sewage workers, janitors, housekeepers, dishwashers, household members, and children at risk of being harmed.

If you are a UNC student, staff, or faculty and need a sharps container, please call Health Services to find out how to obtain a free sharps container. Full containers may be returned to the Student Health Center located in Cassidy Hall, for proper disposal and you can pick up a new container, free of charge.