Photo: Saugus Police Department Now Provides Convenient Sharps Disposal Kiosk

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 781-666-2012
Email: john@jgpr.net

Photo: Saugus Police Department Now Provides Convenient Sharps Disposal Kiosk

SAUGUS —  Police Chief Domenic J. DiMella reports that the Saugus Police Department and Saugus Board of Health have collaborated to set up a sharps kiosk in the lobby of the Public Safety Building, located at 27 Hamilton St.

In 2012, Massachusetts banned the disposal of needles, syringes and lancets in household trash. The new sharps kiosk will give residents a convenient, 24/7 means of removing used and unwanted needles and sharps from their homes.

“Public safety is our number one goal at the Saugus Police Department,” Chief DiMella said. “We wanted to install this kiosk so that our residents would have safe and convenient method of removing potentially dangerous needles from their homes so that they don’t end up in the wrong hands or illegally in the public rubbish system.”

The funding for this kiosk was obtained from a grant through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Residents will have access to this kiosk seven days a week to safely drop off unwanted or used needles.  A second kiosk is located at Town Hall, 298 Central St. and available to residents during normal Town Hall hours, Monday through Friday.

Home sharps should be put in 1-gallon (or smaller) puncture and leak-proof containers like coffee cans, bleach bottles, laundry detergent containers or sharps containers.  No Loose spent home sharps will be accepted.

The new container is only for spent sharps created from personal use by Saugus residents. The container is not for sharps used by home health aides, visiting nurses, group homes, or anyone providing a professional service in a private residence.

For more information, contact Lieutenant Ronald Giorgetti at 781-941-1160 or the Board of Health at 781-231-4115.

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