Texas has not published information to guide individuals in safely disposing of syringes used at home. However, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission and the Texas Department of Health recommend using guidance contained in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s former needle disposal recommendations which include the following:

• Place needles and syringes in a hard plastic or metal container with a screw-on cap or tightly secured lid.
  
  
• Reinforce the lid of the container with heavy-duty tape.
  
  
• Label the container “Not for Recycling.”
  
  The guidance includes these warnings:
  
  
• Do not place the container with materials to be recycled.
  
  
• Do not use containers made of glass or clear plastic.
   
  
• Keep these containers out of the reach of children and pets.

Several manufacturers offer products for sale that allow you to destroy needles at home by either melting or breaking the needle.

We recommend the use of an FDA approved item for in home-use for needle destruction. The “Q-103” is a needle destruction device that will break off the needle portion of the syringe. It can be found at www.qcareintl.com.