TIP- Safe Disposal of Home Health Waste

If you are getting IV medication or chemotherapeutic (Chemo) drugs, check out the following:

Typically your home health nurse will dispose of the most dangerous items, including:

• Needles

• Syringes

• Medication vials

• Bags that contained chemo drugs or other medications

• All tubing

Do not dispose of this material in your household trash!

If you are self-injecting medication, your waste disposal company should give you a red hazardous waste box. Into this box, carefully place all needles, syringes, and medication vials. DO NOT recap needles unless specifically asked to and shown how to do it safely.

You can safely put into regular household trash other materials from your home treatment, such as wrappings of equipment or informative papers.

Used dressings and other medical wastes should be double bagged, tied, and then placed in your regular household trash.