For your safety and the safety of others:

Sharps should only be placed in a Safe Sharps Container.

• DO NOT put needles, syringes or lancets in plastic bottles or jugs.
• DO NOT put needles, syringes or lancets in garbage or recycling bags.
• DO NOT flush needles, syringes or lancets down the toilet.
• DO NOT burn needles, syringes or lancets.

This program does not include used sharps from medical, dental or veterinary clinics, home care professionals, intravenous drug users, or farms. To properly dispose of these types of sharps, please contact your respective professional association.

For more information contact: RRFB Nova Scotia at 1-877-313-7732 (RRFB), your community pharmacy, the Canadian Diabetes Association, or a local Diabetes Centre.

Please follow these steps to safely dispose of syringes, needles, and lancets.

Pick up a free Safe Sharps container at your community pharmacy or Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) Supply Centre.	Place your used syringes, needles and lancets into the Safe Sharps container.	When the container is almost full, seal the lid.	Return the sealed container to your community pharmacy or CDA Supply Centre.

Used sharps must be handled properly. Do not put used sharps in plastic bottles or jugs for disposal. Also, do not place sharps in recycling or garbage bags as they may harm people handling garbage and recyclables. Needlestick injuries from used sharps may cause infections or diseases.

The Safe Sharps program is funded by Nova Scotia’s
pharmacies, sharps manufacturers and medication distributors.
For more information, please contact your local pharmacy.
Note: The Safe Sharps program does not include used sharps
from medical, dental or veterinary clinics, home care
professionals or farms. To properly dispose of these types of
sharps, please contact your respective professional association.
Sharps generated by intravenous drug users are not included in
the program, but can be disposed of or exchanged at one of the
following locations:
Mainline Needle Exchange, 5511 Cornwallis St, Halifax,
(902) 423-9991 or Toll-free: (877) 904-4555
Sharp Advice Needle Exchange (S.A.N.E), 150 Bentinck St,
Sydney, (902) 539-5556

Safe Sharps Disposal Protects Workers

NOVA SCOTIA DEPARTMENT OF Environment and Labour

Recycling and waste workers in Nova Scotia can breathe easier
now, knowing their chances of getting stuck by a syringe have
gone way down. The protection will result from a program,
launched today, designed to keep needles and syringes out of
recycling and garbage bags.

The Safe Sharps Bring-Back Program, announced at Halifax’s
Regional Municipality’s Material Recovery Facility, will provide
household users of syringes and needles with a safe means to
dispose of their sharps (syringes, needles, pen needles and
lancets).

The program, a joint effort of the Pharmacy Association of Nova
Scotia, the Canadian Diabetes Association (Nova Scotia Division)
and the Department of Environment and Labour, will see pharmacies
and Canadian Diabetes Association Supply Centres provide safe
sharps containers for free to clients purchasing sharps for use
in the home. Sharps users will then return the filled containers
to the pharmacies and supply centres for safe disposal.

“It’s up to all of us to recycle and it’s just as important to
recycle safely,” Environment and Labour Minister David Morse
said. “It’s reassuring to know that the risk from needles and
syringes will be dramatically reduced.”

Mr. Morse also congratulated the Pharmacy Association of Nova
Scotia and the Canadian Diabetes Association (Nova Scotia
Division) for their hard work and co-operation in creating the
program.

Byron Sarson, president of the pharmacy association, said the
program takes a good idea and makes it better. “Some of our
pharmacies have been offering this service for many years,”
Sarson said. “This agreement will strengthen and expand the
service to ensure needles and other sharps do not end up in the
fingers of waste or recycling workers in Nova Scotia.”

Manufacturers of sharps have agreed to assist the pharmacy
association in the safe management of sharps designed for home
use.

Sandra Backman, Nova Scotia executive director of the Canadian
Diabetes Association, says the association is very pleased to be
part of this initiative.

“We urge all people with diabetes to participate in this
program,” Ms. Backman says.

“This program is simple. You pick up your container at one of our
supply centres or at your pharmacy and bring it back there.”

Municipalities, whose workers are exposed to used needles and
syringes, are pleased to see industry support this initiative.

Ritchie Cotton, representing municipalities, says it doesn’t just
protect workers — it also shows how responsible industries can
become part of the solution.

The program has the support of the Office of the Provincial
Medical Officer of Health, the Resource Recovery Fund Board,
manufacturers of sharps and related products, and the Nova Scotia
Association of Waste Reduction Co-ordinators.

FOR BROADCAST USE

Recycling and waste workers can breath easier now, knowing

their chances of getting stuck by a syringe have gone way down.

A program launched today will keep used needles and syringes
out

of recycling and garbage bags.

The Safe Sharps Bring-Back Program, announced at Halifax’s

Regional Municipality’s Material Recovery Facility, provides

home users of syringes and needles with a safe means to dispose

of their sharps (syringes, needles, pen needles and lancets).

Pharmacies and Canadian Diabetes Association Supply

Centres will provide safe sharps containers for free to clients

purchasing sharps for use in the home. Users will return the

filled containers to the pharmacies and supply centres for safe

disposal.

The program is a joint effort between the Pharmacy

Association of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Diabetes Association

(Nova Scotia Division) and the Department of Environment and

Labour.

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The list of Shape Sharps Disposal Sites for pharmacies is here: Safe Sharps Disposal Sites.

The Safe Sharps brochure is available here:  Safe_Sharps-rev_Sept.23.2010.