Improper needle disposal prompts warning

A recurring problem with landfill users improperly disposing of needles and “sharps” in the recycling bin for plastic could put that service in jeopardy.

“The final straw is we won’t have plastic recycling at the landfill,” Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty said.

Over the past few months the county’s contracted recycling firm, Valley Recycling, has been finding needles typically used by people with diabetes in the bin for plastic that’s clearly marked off-limits for sharps disposal.

“It’s an incredible health concern for Valley recycling employees” who have to process the various plastic items placed in the bin for recycling, Prunty said. “It’s unacceptable.”

A large red sign on the plastic recycling bin directs users to a disposal container at the scale shack for proper disposal of needles. Landfill workers dig a deep hole and empty the contents of the sharps container into the hole using a trap door on the underside of the container.

The Solid Waste District partners with the City-County Health Department in providing sharps containers that local pharmacies and other medical businesses can give to customers.

Although other recycling sites have bins for plastic, it hasn’t been a problem anywhere but at the landfill, Prunty said, adding that makes him wonder if the improper disposals are being maliciously done.