Durham Region reminds residents to protect waste collection workers; keep needles and glass out of the garbage

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham, Works Department would like to remind residents to keep the health and safety of waste collection operators in mind when they set out their waste for curbside collection.

Waste collection operators can be severely injured when collecting a garbage bag containing large pieces of broken glass, broken porcelain or hypodermic needles. For the protection of the operators, all waste set out for collection must be in compliance with the Region’s Waste Management By-law.

“Durham Region’s Material Recovery Facility operator has advised us that staff see biomedical sharp items in the waste stream almost daily. Additionally, a line sorter has been injured every year for the past six years by a sharp biomedical waste item,” says Craig Barlett, Manager of Waste Operations. “This is a serious issue and we are asking residents to please help protect these workers by carefully and responsibly disposing sharp items, such as hypodermic needles, syringes, EpiPens or lancets.”

Last year, Miller Waste Systems removed approximately 160 kilograms of sharp biomedical items from recycling processed at the Material Recovery Facility. Sharps are not recyclable, nor do they belong in the garbage.

To properly dispose of these items:

• Take back used sharps to a local pharmacy.
• Sharps must be returned in an approved sharps container. Containers are distributed free of charge at local pharmacies.
• Visit HealthSteward.ca to find a participating pharmacy.
• Sharps must never be disposed of in the garbage or recycling.

When setting out broken glass or porcelain, please:

• Separate broken glass from other waste.
• Seal broken glass inside a securely taped cardboard box.
• Mark the box as GLASS in large, bold letters before disposing as garbage.

For more information on the proper disposal of waste, the Region’s Waste Management By-law, or for the locations of Durham Region’s Waste Management Facilities, please visit durham.ca/waste, email waste@durham.ca, or call 905-579-5264 (toll-free at 1-800-667-5671).

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.