Sharps Management Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the Sharps Management and Medical Waste management mailback service by HealthFirst is a legal and compliant solution for the disposal of your sharps and red bag medical waste in all 50 US states.
Overall, how you manage and dispose of your sharps and medical waste will not change much from your current routine. You will still collect your sharps waste in approved sharps containers, package the containers for transport, fill out and sign the waste manifest tracking form and send out the package for proper treatment and disposal. The only difference is how your waste is transported to the treatment center (which is via UPS or USPS instead of a local waste pickup service). What’s best about mailback service it that you package and ship out your waste on your own time instead of someone else’s pickup schedule.
You can use our large capacity containers (Such as our 8-gallon and 18-gallon Sharps Management containers) to mail back your existing sharps containers. You simply place your full containers into the large capacity containers (no loose sharps) and use the postage-paid return ship box to ship the container back to our waste processor for proper treatment and disposal.
Yes, our Medical Waste Management product line is specifically designed to dispose of your regulated medical waste using a mailback service. You can use the 3-Gallon Medical Waste Management container for co-mingled sharps and medical waste, or you can use the 8-gallon or 18-gallon Medical Waste Management containers to dispose of your full sharps containers (no loose sharps) and red bag medical waste.
Every Sharps Management and Medical Waste Management product comes with its own unique tracking number. When you purchase one of these products we tie this tracking number to your personal account in our OnTraq online tracking and reporting system for proper waste tracking and reporting. Also included is a waste tracking manifest, which is in a plastic sleeve attached to the side of the return ship box. You will need to fill out and sign this manifest prior to return shipment. Once our waste processor receives your package they will sign the manifest to confirm that your waste has been properly destroyed. This manifest receipt will then be digitally stored and accessible in your personal account in OnTraq.
HealthFirst carries a large selection of UPS and USPS-authorized mailback kits to fit the needs of your office. It’s best to identify the size of sharps containers you are currently using at your facility and match them to a similar size available within our mailback kits. Options include:
• Single sharps container with mailback box
• Multiple sharps containers in one mailback box (most cost-effective option)
• Large capacity containers with mailback box (to dispose of your sharps containers and red bag waste)
The price shown next to each product is all-inclusive. Costs for return shipping and waste treatment and disposal for all our Sharps Management and Medical Waste Management kits are prepaid and includes free access to OnTraq to track documentation required by many states. The only other cost beyond the stated price is the outbound shipping cost to get the product out to you.
If you have questions about the right mailback kit for your office, feel free to contact our Sharps Management expert at sharps@healthfirst.com.
Ultimate Guide to Effective Sharps Management
