HENDRICKS COUNTY, IN – Hendricks County residents can now pick up and dispose of sharps containers for free at the Hendricks County Health Department.
The Health Department and the Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District have partnered on the Safe Sharps Disposal Program in an effort to safely collect used sharps and prevent the spread of communicable diseases, like HIV and Hepatitis C, due to needle sticks.
Residents who use syringes, lancets, and other sharps are encouraged to use the program, which is run out of the Health Department’s Nursing Clinic located in the Hendricks County Government Center, 355 South Washington Street, Danville.
Containers can be picked up and dropped off at the Nursing Clinic between 8:00 A.M. and noon, and 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
The Health Department will only collect and dispose of FDA-cleared sharps containers that are distributed through the program or acquired elsewhere, such as a pharmacy. Alternative sharps containers, like laundry detergent bottles or coffee cans, will not be accepted.
Containers and disposal are for residents that use sharps at home for themselves or family members, pets, and livestock. Sharps from non-profit and for-profit medical, veterinary, and other facilities will not be accepted.
The Hendricks County Health Department joins both Boone County Health Department and Montgomery County Health Department in offering free sharps disposal to central Indiana residents.
The idea for the Safe Sharps Disposal Program began as a proactive response to prevent HIV and Hepatitis C outbreaks due to needle sharing and improper disposal in Hendricks County. Outbreaks of these diseases occurred in Scott, Monroe, and Madison counties last year.
For more information about the Safe Sharps Disposal Program, contact the Hendricks County Health Department Nursing Division at (317) 745-9222.
