Prevent injuries to our waste collection workers

Whitby, Ontario – The Region of Durham reminds residents to keep the health and safety of waste collection workers in mind when they set out their waste for curbside collection. Injuries for our waste collection workers have increased in recent weeks due to broken glass, broken porcelain and medical sharps.

Residents can prevent injuries to waste collection workers by disposing of sharp items properly.

To dispose of 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 of 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 HealthSteward.ca to find a participating pharmacy.

For the safety of our waste collection workers, all waste set out for collection must comply with Regional waste collection requirements. The Region has a zero-tolerance policy for broken glass, broken porcelain and medical sharps in garbage bags.

To learn more, visit the Region’s YouTube channel to watch our Being safe with broken glass and porcelain video, and our Being Safe with medical sharps video.

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