Durham Region is reminding residents to keep the health and safety of waste collection workers in mind when they set out their waste for curbside collection.
Several workers have been hurt from broken glass, broken porcelain and medical sharps in recent weeks, the region said.
The region said it has a zero-tolerance policy for broken glass, broken porcelain and medical sharps in garbage bags. It did not, however, specify any penalty.
It said residents can prevent injuries to waste collection workers by disposing of sharp items properly.
To Dispose Broken Glass Or Porcelain:
- Box it. Place broken glass or porcelain inside a sturdy cardboard box.
- Tape it. Securely seal the box with tape.
- Label it. Mark the box as Broken Glass or Broken Porcelain in large, bold letters.
- Set the box out beside your garbage for collection.
Medical sharps are objects that cut skin and come in contact with bodily fluids, such as hypodermic needles, syringes, EpiPens or lancets. Sharps must never be disposed of in the garbage, blue box or green bin.
To Dispose Medical Sharps:
- Place used sharps in an approved Sharps container. Containers are available at local pharmacies.
- Return the container to a participating pharmacy free of charge.
- Visit Health Steward website to find a participating pharmacy.
For the safety of waste collection workers, all waste set out for collection must comply with regional waste collection requirements.