Medical Waste

Prescription Medication Disposal
Collection boxes for disposal of medications are set up at the county Justice Center and the Police Department buildings that serve East Brandywine, Kennett Square, New Garden, North Coventry, Parkesburg, Phoenixville, West Goshen, West Whiteland, Westtown, and East Goshen.

The following locations have Medication Collection Drop Off Boxes:
  1. Chester County Justice Center Sheriff's Dept., 201 W. Market St., Suite 1201, West Chester
  2. East Brandywine Twp. Police Dept., 1212 Horseshoe Pike, East Brandywine
  3. Kennett Square Borough Police Dept., 115 N. Broad St., Kennett Square
  4. New Garden Twp. Police Dept., 8934 Gap Newport Pk., New Garden
  5. North Coventry Twp. Police Dept., 845 S. Hanover St., North Coventry
  6. Oxford Borough Police Dept., 57 N. Fourth St., Oxford
  7. Parkesburg Borough Police Dept., 315 W. First Ave., Bldg. 2, Parkesburg
  8. Phoenixville Borough Police Dept., 351 Bridge St., Phoenixville
  9. West Goshen Twp. Police Dept., 1025 Paoli Pk., West Goshen
  10. Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Dept., 1041 Wilmington Pk., Westtown
  11. West Whiteland Twp. Police Dept., 101 Commerce Dr., West Whiteland
Disposal Tips for Needles and Syringes
Home health care wastes primarily consist of used items know as sharps, which include needles, syringes, lancets, and other sharp objects, as well as soiled bandages, disposable sheets, and medical gloves.
Four Simple Steps:
You can help prevent injury, illness, and pollution by following some simple steps when disposing of these wastes in your household trash.
  1. Place all sharps in a puncture-resistant, hard plastic or metal container. An empty detergent bottle with a screw-on cap or an empty coffee can will do.
  2. Close the container with its original lid and secure with heavy duty tape.
  3. Place the tightly sealed container in a paper bag and discard it with your household trash. Do not place it with your recyclables.
  4. Place non-sharp home health care wastes in a doubled, securely fastened, opaque plastic trash bag before putting them in your garbage can with other wastes.
Disinfect Before Throwing Away Sharps
Prior to disposal, disinfect your sharps with a solution of one teaspoon of bleach in half-gallon of water.

Other Disposal Options:
  • Ask your doctor if they will accept your properly containerized sharps for safe disposal.
  • Contact your local hospital see if it will accept sharps that have been properly secured in a container.
  • Check with your pharmacy. Some sell specially designed containers for use by homeowners in securing health care wastes for disposal in household trash.
  • If your community is served by a regional household hazardous waste collection facility, ask if it will accept your sharps.