News Release, St. Mary’s County Health Department

LEONARDTOWN, MD (February 5, 2019) – The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the St. Mary’s County Health Department, is now collecting personal medical sharps for safe disposal.

Community members may now safely dispose of medical sharps (such as syringes, lancets and auto-injectors) as well as expired, unused, and unwanted medications in the collection boxes that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the front lobby of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, located at 23150 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown.

This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Please unwrap/remove packaging from all sharps prior to drop-off. For disposal of large quantities of medical sharps, please call the St. Mary’s County Health Department at 301-475-4330.

Household sharps such as needles, lancets and syringes used for self-administration of insulin and similar medications must be disposed of properly to prevent public health risk. If not properly secured, discarded needles may expose your family, pets, and local sanitation workers or emergency responders to needle stick injuries and potential infection. You can prevent injury, illness, and pollution by properly disposing of these materials.

Drop-off of medical sharps for safe disposal is also available for the community between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at the following locations:

St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD)
21580 Peabody Street
Leonardtown, MD. 20650
301-475-4330

SMCHD Harm Reduction Program Satellite Office
46035 Signature Lane
Lexington Park, MD. 20653
301-862-1680

For more information, visit www.smchd.org/medical-waste-and-sharps-disposal/ or call the St. Mary’s County Health Department at 301-475-4330.

David M. Higgins II is an award-winning journalist passionate about uncovering the truth and telling compelling stories. Born in Baltimore and raised in Southern Maryland, he has lived in several East...