Hi, I am Pattie Aho, the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

If you are one of the tens of thousands of Mainers who use medical sharps, you are allowed 
under Maine law to dispose of them in your household trash if you take the proper precautions 
to secure and label the puncture-proof container, like a laundry detergent bottle or the 
red sharps buckets for sale at your local pharmacy, before doing so. 

Please never toss loose, used sharps in the trash or toilet because it puts you, your family, 
waste handlers, and the general public at risk for accidental and painful needle sticks.

For more information on safe containment and disposal of your household medical sharps, 
please visit our website www.maine.gov/dep/sharps and I thank you.