Disposing Needles Now Regulated By Town

As of July 1, Massachusetts has banned all sharps (needles/syringes and lancets) from disposal in the regular trash. 

Residents can no longer be able to put needles/syringes and lancets in detergent bottles or coffee cans and put them in their regular trash. 

The Health Department has approved sharps containers for sale at its office on the second floor of the Homer Municipal Building, 19 Moore St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The cost is $10 by check or cash only.  Residents can bring the containers for disposal to the same location during the same times.

The container will be marked "Paid" on the outside and, when full, it can be returned to the Health Department and put in an approved disposal box locked in the director's office. 

When full, that box will be picked up by a licensed medical waste hauler.

SHARPS IN UNAPPROVED CONTAINERS MUST NEVER BE BROUGHT TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. They cannot be accepted or transferred to the approved container on town property.

No commercial sites, such as physicians and dentists, may use this disposal option; this procedure will be for residential disposal only.

Questions can be addressed to the Health Department staff at 617-993-2720.