cdc.gov/coronavirus CS 323144-A 03/30/2021

FIRST, conserve your FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers by doing the following: 

Strategies for Sharps Disposal Container

Use During Supply Shortages

For Managers and Purchase Agents

A shortage in the supply of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared sharps disposal containers may 

occur during the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign or as a result of other causes. Healthcare facilities 

and COVID-19 vaccination sites must use sharps disposal containers that meet Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens standard requirements to dispose of contaminated 

needles and other sharps. Use FDA-cleared containers whenever possible. 

Conserve your FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers to help avoid a potential supply shortage. If FDAcleared sharps disposal containers are unavailable, then consider using alternative containers that meet the 

OSHA requirements after checking your state’s specific disposal requirements at SafeNeedleDisposal.org

and discussing disposal options with your medical waste vendors.

Accessibility link: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/training-education/strategies-sharps-disposal-container.html

• Place only sharps (as defined in OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens 

standard, for example, contaminated syringes, needles, lancets, 

scalpels, infusion needle sets, connection needles, auto-injectors) 

in sharps disposal containers.

• Do not remove, recap, break, or bend contaminated needles or 

separate contaminated needles from syringes before discarding 

them into a sharps disposal container. Best practice is to 

immediately place the connected needle and syringe into the 

sharps disposal container.

• Place contaminated dressings, gauze, cotton materials, tubing, and 

contaminated cleanup items in biohazard waste disposal bags.

• Place uncontaminated non-sharps in a standard trash can. Always 

place sharps in sharps disposal containers, not in the trash.

• Consider using reusable FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers. 

These can be reused after being picked up, processed, and 

disinfected by a regulated medical waste removal service 

according to state and local regulations. 

• Ensure containers are filled to the recommended capacity prior 

to removal, but do not overfill. Filling above the fill line or more 

than 3/4 full of the alternative container can increase the risk of a 

needlestick injury and a bloodborne pathogen exposure.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use.

SECOND, follow these procedures when FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers are scarce or unavailable: 

NOTE: Once the availability of FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers 

returns to normal, healthcare facilities and COVID-19 vaccination sites 

should promptly resume usual practices.

• Consider avoiding timed sharps container disposal, where 

containers are removed at set intervals regardless of fill level. 

Removing and replacing sharps disposal containers based on set 

time intervals rather than when they are at the recommended 

capacity can waste valuable container space during a shortage.

• Ask your distributors about all types of FDA-cleared sharps 

disposal containers that are available. For example, using an FDAcleared sharps disposal container that does not fit within the wall 

brackets at your facility is better than not having a sharps disposal 

container at all.

• Consider using alternative containers, after checking your state’s 

specific disposal requirements at SafeNeedleDisposal.org and 

discussing disposal options with your medical waste vendors.

• Acceptable alternative containers must meet OSHA’s Bloodborne 

Pathogens standard requirements: 

» Made of heavy-duty, puncture-resistant plastic or metal

» Leakproof on the sides and bottom

» Have an opening large enough to accommodate a sharp but 

not large enough for a hand to enter

» Have a tight-fitting and puncture-resistant lid

» Remain upright and stable during use and handling

» Are clearly labeled or color-coded in accordance

with OSHA labeling standards:

- to warn of biohazardous sharps waste inside the container, 

- to indicate what should and should not be placed into

the container, and 

- to indicate that it is not an FDA-cleared sharps

disposal container

See the back for ideas
cdc.gov/coronavirus

Heavy-duty plastic 

household containers,

such as empty plastic 

laundry detergent, 

windshield wiper fluid, cat 

litter, or bleach containers 

that have been emptied 

and thoroughly rinsed

Alternative sharps disposal containers must meet OSHA 

requirements and may include the following items:

New, never used, heavyduty paint or chemical 

buckets with a secure lid 

and a removeable spout 

large enough for sharps to 

be inserted but too small 

for a hand to enter

New, never used, heavyduty plastic or metal gas 

or diesel fuel containers 

with tight caps

New, never used, 

heavy-duty plastic 

chemical-dispensing 

containers (2.5 or 5 

gallon) with tight caps

Report supply shortages to the FDA

The FDA encourages health care facilities to report any supply 

disruptions of sharps disposal containers to the device shortages 

mailbox deviceshortages@fda.gov. This mailbox is monitored closely 

and is a valuable resource to augment FDA efforts to detect and 

mitigate potential supply chain disruptions. 

For more information

FDA: How to get rid of a sharps container 

https://www.fda.gov/files/medical%20devices/published/How-toGet-Rid-of-a-Sharps-Container--Printable-Version.pdf

FDA: Sharps disposal containers 

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safely-using-sharps-needlesand-syringes-home-work-and-travel/sharps-disposal-containers

NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety

and Health): Preventing needlestick injuries

at COVID–19 vaccination sites

https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2021/03/02/needlestickprevention/

NIOSH: Selecting, evaluating, and using sharps

disposal containers

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/97-111/

OSHA: Bloodborne Pathogens standard

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/

standardnumber/1910/1910.1030

OSHA: Bloodborne pathogens and

needlestick prevention 

https://www.osha.gov/bloodborne-pathogens

OSHA: Bloodborne pathogens fact sheet 

https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_BloodborneFacts/bbfact02.html

OSHA: Poster for COVID-19 vaccination sites

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4109.pdf