The US FDA has launched a new web portal offering advice and guidance on the safe disposal of sharps.

http://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal

The site is aimed at small producers – diabetics, small clinics and nursing homes and veterinary users – and has been widely publicised throughout the relevant sectors.

Importantly, this includes the use and disposal of sharps from the farming and veterinary sectors where there may presently be a significant gap in safe disposal. In the UK, the numbers [of disposal contracts] simply do not add up and this new FDA site may help improve disposal practice. Regulatory scrutiny is probably required, but with cuts in service budgets this is unlikely to happen unless someone happens to get a bee in their bonnet. For now, it’s still a DIY responsibility and this US FDA site may provide the sector guidance that is presently missing in the UK.