Needles and sharps tossed into garbage or recycling can be dangerous for workers. Many material recovery facilities (MRFs) report seeing needles daily or several times a week. Learn tips you can take to reduce the risk of needlesticks. Download a tip sheet in English, Spanish, and French here!
These tips are adapted from a groundbreaking report conducted by the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) and the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). This joint research project for the first time quantified the number of needlesticks that occur at MRFs with the goal to improve worker safety.