Sites in Stillwater, Pawnee, Tahlequah, and Tulsa will provide residents with safe containers and disposal services for used needles and syringes
Contact: Jessica Atkinson, Director of Marketing and Communications, PSI, media@productstewardship.us, 617-236-4866
OKLAHOMA — Starting this week, multiple sites throughout Oklahoma will collect used medical sharps (needles, syringes, lancets, and other home-generated sharps) from residents free of charge. This collection is part of a pilot program developed and implemented by the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) and the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee (OMSDC), with grant support from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The six-month program, launching on the heels of National Diabetes Awareness Month, aims to protect public health and the environment by increasing infrastructure for safe medical sharps collection and disposal.
“In addition to the public health and environmental risks, medical sharps that are thrown in the trash can pose a safety hazard to sanitation workers,” said Patrick Riley, environmental programs manager for solid waste and sustainability at DEQ. “We know that safe collection sites are needed, and this program will demonstrate exactly how they can be operated.”
PSI estimates that more than 108,000 Oklahoma residents use sharps to manage medical conditions like diabetes at home, generating between 20 and 50 million needles per year, and thousands of Oklahomans use syringes to inject controlled substances. Nationwide, 7% of needles are flushed, and an estimated 3 billion sharps enter the municipal solid waste stream each year as trash. They pose grave health and safety risks to residents, sanitation workers, sewage treatment plant operators, waste management personnel, and hospitality workers.
“When medical sharps are improperly disposed of — whether in the trash or flushed down the toilet — they are dangerous for families, communities, and our environment, and many end up littering public streets and parks,” said Scott Cassel, chief executive officer and founder of PSI. “We’re excited to partner with the participating organizations, as well as vendors like Capital Waste Solutions and Stericycle, to mitigate these impacts and provide convenient options for residents in several Oklahoma communities to safely dispose of their sharps.”
Participating locations where residents can drop off their used medical sharps or pick up a mail-back kit include:
- The City of Stillwater
807 S. Perkins Road (8th Avenue and U.S. 177), Stillwater, OK 74074
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Contact: Chris Knight, 405-533-8424 - Stop Harm on Tulsa Streets (SHOTS) at the H.O.P.E. Testing Clinic
3540 E 31st St #3, Tulsa, OK 74135
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Contacts: Jennifer Sharp, 918-640-6896; Alexa Bottoms, 214-995-1925
Website: hopetesting.org - Oklahoma Harm Reduction Alliance (OKHRA)
3rd Saturday of each month, January to June 2022
Church of the Good Shepherd, 1420 E Dewey Ave, Sapulpa, OK 74066
Trinity Episcopal Church, 501 S Cincinnati Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103
Contact: Andrea Haddox, 539-302-7213
Website: okhra.org - Cherokee County Health Services Council (collection begins later in December)
135 N. Muskogee Ave, Tahlequah, OK 74464
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Contact: Marcus Buchanan, 918-506-4058 - Indian Health Services (IHS) Pharmacy (mail-back)
1201 Heritage Circle, Pawnee, OK 74058 OKsharps
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Contact: Kaileen Skidgel, 918-762-6555
The pilot collection program is informed by PSI’s how-to guide: “Building a Municipal Program for Home-Generated Medical Sharps: A Guide for Oklahoma Municipalities.” The guide, created with grant funding from DEQ, provides step-by-step support for Oklahoma municipalities establishing medical sharps collection programs for residents and will be expanded with lessons learned from the pilot collection programs. Research for the guide highlighted the lack of infrastructure for medical sharps collection and led to this pilot program.
For more information on the pilot program and where residents can return used medical sharps, visit bit.ly/OKsharpspilot.
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About the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
The mission of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is to protect and improve public health and the environment. DEQ works to foster a healthy and sustainable future through effective and innovative environmental actions, with a commitment to make sure all Oklahomans have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and protected land to enjoy.
About the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee (OMSDC)
The OMSDC is a coalition of professionals working on a statewide solution for the safe disposal of medical sharps and leftover pharmaceuticals for Oklahoma residents. Funded by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality with facilitation and technical support from the Product Stewardship Institute, the committee meet periodically to share information and to develop solutions.
About the Product Stewardship Institute (PSI)
PSI is a national nonprofit bringing diverse stakeholders together to reduce the health and environmental impacts of consumer products and packaging with a strong focus on sustainable end-of-life management. PSI has built capacity for product stewardship in the U.S. for more than 20 years — together with 47 state environmental agency members, hundreds of local government members, and over 120 partners from business, universities, organizations, and international governments. Learn more at productstewardship.us and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.