Sharps containers are designed to safely dispose of sharps waste, which are objects that can readily puncture or cut the skin of an individual when encountered. Examples of sharps include:

• Needles
• Syringes
• Scalpels
• Razor blades
• Glass or plastic pipettes
• Metal shavings
• Broken glass, capillary tubes, plastic, metal, pottery with sharp edges, etc.

It is important to note that sharps containers should only be used for sharps waste and not for other types of medical waste or household waste. For example, tape, paper, bandages/gauze, exam gloves, alcohol preps, medication and medication wrappers, aerosols or inhalers should not be placed in a sharps container.

If an FDA-cleared sharps container is not available, a heavy-duty plastic household container, such as an empty plastic laundry detergent or windshield wiper fluid container, can be used as an alternative. However, it is important to ensure that the container is leak-resistant, remains upright during use, has a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, and is labeled as "SHARPS - DO NOT RECYCLE".

It is also important to follow proper procedures when using sharps containers, such as not removing, recapping, breaking, or bending contaminated needles or separating contaminated needles from syringes before discarding them into a sharps disposal container. Additionally, sharps containers should be filled to the recommended capacity prior to removal, but not overfilled, to reduce the risk of needlestick injury and bloodborne pathogen exposure.