09/04/2026
🔍Fact or Fiction❌ Friday
Claim: “Needles can be safely trashed if the cap is on.”
This claim is fiction.
Don’t try to bend, break, recap, or remove needles used by someone else.
This could cause accidental needle sticks and potentially spread serious infections.
Needles or medical sharps should not be thrown away loose in the trash or recycling bin, flushed down the toilet, removed, bent, broken, or recapped. If not disposed of properly, used needles or other sharps can be dangerous to other people and pets because they can cause injuries and potentially spread infections that result in critical health conditions.
Put used needles/other sharps into a sharps disposal container to lower the risk of needle sticks, cuts, or punctures from loose sharps.
Need a sharps container? The Macon County Health Department has you covered! Just ask at the front reception desk!
For more information or questions about proper sharps disposal, call 217-423-6988 opt. 2.
Source: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safely-using-sharps-needles-and-syringes-home-work-and-travel/dos-and-donts-proper-sharps-disposal
