Editing Needle sharing (section)

==Safe disposal of needles==

Discarding needles in regular household trash bins endangers children, pets, janitors, and waste management services personnel; therefore, needles should be properly disposed of in a FDA-cleared sharps container that is both puncture- and leak-resistant.<ref name="fda.gov" /> It is important to properly dispose of used needles because it can be difficult to tell if a needle has ever been used before.  By not disposing of needles in a safe way, users may expose others or themselves to a [[Needlestick injury|needle stick injury]].<ref name="pmid19252703">{{cite journal|date=March 2008|title=Needle stick injuries|journal=Paediatrics & Child Health|volume=13|issue=3|pages=211–20|doi=10.1093/pch/13.3.211|pmc=2529414|pmid=19252703}}</ref> If a sharps container is not available, needles can often be brought to local law enforcement, hospitals, or drug stores for safe collection and disposal. In addition, needles can be mailed in specialized containers to a mail-back program for safe disposal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/med-govt_0.pdf|title=Community Options for Safe Needle Disposal}}</ref> Moreover, needles can be utilized and disposed of properly in [[Supervised injection site|supervised injection sites]]. In the health care setting, use of blunt-end needles can minimize the risk of needle stick injuries.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Parantainen A, Verbeek JH, Lavoie MC, Pahwa M|date=November 2011|title=Blunt versus sharp suture needles for preventing percutaneous exposure incidents in surgical staff|journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews|volume=2016 |issue=11|pages=CD009170|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD009170.pub2|pmid=22071864|pmc=7387125}}</ref>