Eau Claire County residents now have a new option for disposing of needles, lancets, syringes, and other sharps devices.
“The goal of these boxes is to decrease the number of discarded needles found at parks, roadsides, and outdoor spaces within the county.”
Several local agencies are partnering to install eight large sharps disposal boxes in Eau Claire County. The project is paid for with funds received in Eau Claire County from the national opioid settlement.
Three sharps disposal boxes have already been installed at:
- Owen Park, 501 1st Ave., Eau Claire (outdoors)
- Wilson Park, 500 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire (outdoors)
- Eau Claire County Jail lobby, 710 2nd Ave., Eau Claire (indoors)
Five additional sharps disposal boxes will be installed in the coming weeks at:
- Altoona Public Works, 2000 Spooner Ave., Altoona (outdoors)
- Big Falls County Park, 500 N. 110th Ave., Eau Claire (outdoors)
- Coon Fork County Park, E25501 Cty Hwy CF, Augusta (outdoors)
- Fairchild Community Center, 121 Farmer St., Fairchild (outdoors)
- Augusta City Hall, 145 W. Lincoln St., Augusta (indoors)
The disposal boxes work similarly to the county’s existing medication dropboxes. Pull the handle on the front of the container and place unwanted loose sharps or a small container of sharps inside. Close the door, and the sharps will fall down the chute.
The door opening is about 4 inches by 13.5 inches and can accept some personal-sized red biohazard containers. A laundry detergent bottle will not fit.
Members of the public can use the disposal boxes at any time of the day, at no cost. Do not place medications and other hazardous material in the sharps disposal boxes. Unused or expired medications should be taken to a free medication drop-off location.
In addition to using these new sharps disposal boxes, community members should talk with their doctor or pharmacist about disposal options via their healthcare system.
“We hope the new sharps disposal program will promote public safety by providing additional locations in Eau Claire County to safely dispose of sharps,” says Sarah Dillivan-Pospisil, Public Health Specialist with the Health Department. “The goal of these boxes is to decrease the number of discarded needles found at parks, roadsides, and outdoor spaces within the county.”
Sharps should always be disposed of properly to reduce the risk of needle sticks, cuts, and puncture wounds. Improperly disposed of sharps put emergency responders, community members, and pets at risk for injury and the spread of infection. For the same reason, do not place sharps in the garbage or recycling, or flush them down the toilet.
