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El Sobrante Landfill is a Class 3 regional disposal facility permitted to accept up to 10,000 tons per day, seven days per week. It employs approximately 40 full-time employees. Landfill operations are overseen by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health.
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A new law took effect on Sept. 1, 2008, that forbids all home generated hypodermic needles, or sharps, from being thrown away in waste containers, recycling or green waste bins. Sharps is a medical term for hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets and anything that is used to penetrate or cut the skin. All home-generated sharps waste must now be transported in an approved sharps container and managed by a hazardous waste facility, medical waste generator facility, or a facility managed as part of a mail back program.
Surveys show that more than 3 billion needles and syringes used by self-injectors end up in trash or recycling containers, or are flushed down toilets. This improper disposal puts sanitation workers and the public at risk of needle sticks and serious infections. Waste Management strongly supports this law because of the concern for the safety of our employees who handle solid waste on a daily basis.
There are a variety of options available for residents to safely dispose of their at-home needles. Some drug stores and pharmacies offer kiosks, and there are convenient mail-back programs and drop-off locations. Waste Management offers a Sharps mail-back program as part of its ThinkGreenfromhome.com program that can help residents who need to dispose of needles.
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