Recycle Responsibly

by Eloy Gomez

GRF safety and emergency coordinator

Recycling is good for the environment, but not recycling correctly could harm the environment, humans, property and wildlife.

For years, the Golden Rain and Golden Age foundations and the Seal Beach Police Department have been doing their part in recycling a variety of waste items. Items include green waste, cardboard, electronics (e-waste), used household batteries, incandescent light tubes and bulbs, and unused prescriptions drugs (by the SBPD).

But let’s focus on three items that residents have been recycling inappropriately.

Sharps

Sharps (hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications) are being left next to mutual dumpsters and in battery recycling containers. Please do not put sharps of any kind in recycling, where they could endanger workers.

Improper sharps disposal can affect janitors, pest control workers, groundskeepers, waste management workers and household pets, among others.

Roughly 25 to 45 percent of all facilities processing household trash (besides recycling) in California have workers hand-sorting recyclable material out of that trash. A single worker’s on-the-job needlestick can mean weeks of taking drugs to prevent the spread of infection, with side effects including nausea, depression and extreme fatigue as well as months waiting for expensive periodic tests to reveal whether he or she contracted life-threatening HIV/AIDs or hepatitis B or C.

A 2008 study suggested that “nationwide each year, 25 percent or roughly 150,000 to 200,000 needlesticks occurred outside the health services industry for a cost of $38 million.”

The Law

State law (H& SC §118286) makes it illegal to dispose of homegenerated sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers and requires that all sharps waste be transported to a collection center in a sharps container approved by the local enforcement agency.

To dispose of sharps, old paint or household chemicals and other household hazardous waste, visit the OC Waste Center, 17121 Nichols Lane-Gate #6, Huntington Beach, 92647. Used and Unused Household Batteries

Alkaline or lithium batteries may be recycled at Golden Age Foundation battery recycling events or at the GRF battery recycling container located on the west side of Building 5 (off the alleyway). When recycling 9-volt batteries, put them in individual plastic bags to keep them separated from other batteries or place tape over both the terminals. In rare cases, these batteries can cause fires if not handled carefully.

Paper Shredding

When preparing your documents for a paper shredding recycling events, go over all your documents to ensure metal pieces are not included. Items such as metal paper clips, binders with metal rings, letter openers, spoons, razor blades and small batteries could get caught in the shredding gears and catch on fire.

Recycling household waste the right way keeps everyone safe.

For comments or more information about this article, contact me at (562) 431-6586, ext. 356.