A needle sticks through a milk container left at the town recycling center. When a volunteer was accidentally pricked by the needle, he spent the day at the hospital receiving medical attention and advice. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

A couple of hours volunteering at the transfer station turned into a nightmare for a Harvard resident one recent Saturday after he was jabbed in the hand by a needle protruding from a plastic milk jug left at the recycling table. The jug had been used as a receptacle for what an Emerson Hospital technician later determined were insulin needles.

The family wishes to remain anonymous, but the man’s wife told the Press that he spent the rest of that Saturday in the emergency room at Emerson Hospital, where he received an immunoglobulin shot, as well as shots for hepatitis B and tetanus. She said the doctor recommended he consider treatment for HIV, and that he undergo periodic testing for the next year. The worst part of the frightening experience, said his wife, is worrying about what those results might be—“the piece that isn’t measurable.”

One might think there is a strict process in place for disposal of such needles, but it isn’t as clear cut as you might imagine. According to representatives from Nashoba Valley Medical Center and Emerson Hospital, neither hospital accepts sharps for disposal, partly because of cost, but also because of safety and liability issues.

Barry Jones, director of laboratory and rehabilitative services at Emerson, said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “would probably recommend a rigid container, such as a milk jug” for disposal of sharps.

However, said Jayme Kulesz, public relations manager for NVMC, “Sharps receptacles are readily available in drugstores.”

Jones said that most communities are moving to a recycling program with sharps disposal containers. Further, new medical waste regulations that go into effect July 1 will prohibit the disposal of sharps in household garbage.

But in fact, Harvard does have a sharps disposal program, coordinated by the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health. Sue Harris, of the Nashoba Nursing Service, told the Press that sharps containers are available for purchase from the town clerks in each of the 14 towns served by the NABH. The purchase price covers the cost of disposal. (The charge is $5 for up to five-quart container size; $10 for each container larger than five quarts.) However, the containers may not be disposed of at Town Hall. They can be brought to the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health building at 30 Central Ave. in Ayer, or the Nashoba Nursing Service at 2 Shaker Road, Suite D225, in Shirley. They can also be dropped off at scheduled Well Adult clinics in member towns. (For more information call the Nursing Service at 978-425-6675 or 800-698-3307.) In addition, there are companies that handle sharps disposal, including SHARPS (800-772-5657 or www.sharpsinc.com and Medasend Biomedical (800-200-3581 or www.medasend.com.)