Medical sharps collection program underway
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Media Contact: Trisha Gedon | Communications Specialist | 405-744-3625 | trisha.gedon@okstate.edu
Aimed at helping to protect public health and the environment, the Oklahoma Medical Sharps Collection Program is now available in several locations across Oklahoma.
Launched in December 2021, this six-month pilot program will increase the infrastructure for safe collection and disposal of used medical sharps such as pen needles, syringes and lancets, said Keima Borsuah, Oklahoma State University Extension assistant state specialist with the Solid Waste Management Program.
“This program is vital to our programming in the Solid Waste Management Program because it demonstrates proper waste disposal,” Borsuah said. “It’s estimated more than 108,000 Oklahomans use sharps to manage medical conditions like diabetes, which generates more than 20 million needles per year. Most are simply thrown in the trash or flushed.”
When improperly disposed of, these sharps pose a safety hazard to sanitation workers, sewage treatment plant operators and waste management personnel, as well as the environment.
The collection initiative is part of a pilot program developed and implemented by the Product Stewardship Institute and the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee with grant support from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
Participating locations in Oklahoma include:
Stillwater
Convenience Collection Center
807 S. Perkins Road
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday
Contact: Chris Knight, 405-533-8424
Tulsa
Stop Harm on Tulsa Streets (SHOTS) at the HOPE Testing Clinic
3540 E 31st St. #3
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday
Contacts: Jennifer Sharp, 918-640-6896; Alexa Bottoms, 214-995-1925
Sapulpa and Tulsa
Oklahoma Harm Reduction Alliance (OKHRA)
Church of the Good Shepherd, 1420 E. Dewey Ave., Sapulpa
Trinity Episcopal Church, 501 S. Cincinnati Ave., Tulsa
3rd Saturday of each month, January to June 2022
Contact: Andrea Haddox, 539-302-7213
Tahlequah
Cherokee County Health Services Council
135 N. Muskogee Ave.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Contact: Marcus Buchanan, 918-506-4058
Pawnee
Indian Health Service (IHS) Pharmacy (mail-back only)
1201 Heritage Circle, Pawnee, OK 74058
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Contact: Kaileen Skidgel, 918-762-6555
“We know safe collection sites are needed and this pilot program will help us demonstrate how they can be efficiently operated,” Borsuah said.
More information on the pilot program is available online or by contacting Borsuah at 405-744-9827.