#RecycleRightNY September Resources

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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#RecycleRightNY Campaign Materials

Please note- acceptable materials lists for recycling programs vary across the state based on your location. Please be sure to tailor these materials to fit your particular local program as needed.

September is dedicated to keeping sharps out of household recycling, hazards to recycling facility workers from improperly disposed of sharps and providing information about proper disposal of sharps. Please use the resources below (Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, social media polls, newsletter article) through the month of September via your social media platforms, newsletters, etc. to spread the message. The post order is a suggested format to follow but please modify the order for the month as necessary to fit your needs.

High resolution images formatted for Facebook, Twitter, and newsletters can be downloaded by going to NYDEC's Recycle Right NY Flickr album. For instructions, scroll down to the heading "Free images" below. To download any images from the body of this email, right click the image and then choose "Save As".


Week 1 Campaign Materials

Social media poll

Facebook Poll: True or False. Sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets can be put in your household recycling bin #RecycleRightNY

 

Twitter Tweet: True or False. Sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets can be put in your household recycling bin #RecycleRightNY

 

Facebook Answer: False. Sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets do not belong in your household recycling bin with your plastic, metal, glass and paper. Not only can sharps not be recycled here, but sharps injure hundreds of workers when they end up at recycling facilities, pricking workers and potentially exposing them to bloodborne pathogens. For information on safe sharps disposal, visit https://on.ny.gov/2Zrt8XW .

 

Twitter Answer: False. Sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets do not belong in your household recycling bin. Sharps in recycling bins injure hundreds of workers each year. For information on safe sharps disposal, visit https://on.ny.gov/2Zrt8XW.


Week 2 Campaign Materials

Facebook Post: Be sharp and know how to #RecycleRightNY! Medical sharps like syringes, needles and lancets should not be disposed of in your household recycling bin. Bring your home-generated sharps to approved drop off locations. All hospitals and nursing homes in New York State are mandated by law to accept home-generated sharps as a free community service through their sharps collection programs. For drop locations and other info visit: https://safeneedledisposal.org/state-search/?state=NY#showTable #RecycleRightNY

 

Twitter Tweet: Be sharp and know how to #RecycleRightNY! Medical sharps like syringes, needles and lancets should not be disposed of in your household recycling bin. Bring your home-generated sharps to approved drop off locations. For drop locations and more info visit https://safeneedledisposal.org/state-search/?state=NY#showTable


Week 3 Campaign Materials

Facebook Post:  Safety is on the line! Be sharp smart and keep your community safe! Medical sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets should not be disposed of in your household recycling bin. Real people handle your recyclables and hundreds of injuries occur each year when recycling facility workers are pricked and injured or exposed to bloodborne pathogens from sharps. To find proper disposal locations visit: www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection #RecycleRightNY

 

Twitter Tweet:  Safety is on the line! Real people handle recyclables & hundreds of injuries occur each year when recycling facility workers are pricked, injured or exposed to bloodborne pathogens from sharps. #RecycleRightNY Find proper sharps disposal locations: www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection 


Week 4 Campaign Materials

Facebook Post: Be in the know about proper sharps disposal! You have the power to prevent future injury, bloodborne infections, and death by implementing simple household strategies and tips that can help prevent household sharps from causing injury or harm to staff in the recycling field and in your community. To find proper disposal locations visit: www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection 

 

Twitter Tweet: Be in the know about sharps! You have the power to prevent future injury to those in the recycling field and in your community by keeping sharps out of our recycling bin. Find proper disposal options at www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection


Week 5 Campaign Materials

Facebook Post: #DidYouKnow that all hospitals and nursing homes in New York State are mandated by law to accept home-generated sharps as a free community service through their sharps collection programs? Let’s #RecycleRightNY and work together to keep sharps out of recycling bins!  Recycling facility workers must quickly sort through recyclables and non-recyclables as conveyor belts turn, where they can come into contact with sharps. Visit www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection for more information on safe sharps disposal!

 

Twitter Tweet: Let’s keep sharps out of recycling bins! #DidYouKnow hospitals & nursing homes in NY State are mandated by law to accept home-generated sharps as a free community service via their sharps collection programs? For more info on safe sharps disposal www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection 


Extra Posts

Facebook post: Not only do sharps contaminate recycling streams, they also pose a danger to recycling facility workers! Each year it’s estimated that 45% of all injuries at recycling facilities result from needles that ended up in the recycling stream. Used sharps have the potential to transmit a variety of blood borne pathogens. Protect recycling facilities workers by keeping sharps out of recycling bins. #RecycleRightNY

 

Twitter Tweet: Each year it’s estimated that 45% of all injuries at recycling facilities result from needles that ended up in the recycling stream. Protect recycling facilities workers by keeping sharps out of recycling bins. #RecycleRightNY


September Newsletter/Newspaper Article

Be sharp smart!

Safety is on the line when it comes to disposing of sharps! Household medical sharps like syringes, needles, and lancets should not be disposed of in any household recycling bin. Persons handling your household recyclables can incur hundreds of injuries. Each year, it is estimated that 45% of all facility worker injuries at recycling facilities result from used needles that ended up in the recycling stream.

Recycling facility workers must quickly sort through recyclables and non-recyclables as conveyor belts turn, where they can come into contact with used sharps. Used sharps have the potential to infect facility workers with a variety of blood-borne infections, including HIV, Hep B, and Hep C.

You have the power to prevent future injury, bloodborne infections, and death by implementing simple household strategies and tips that can help prevent household sharps from causing injury or harm to staff in the recycling field and in your community.

Help us #RecycleRightNY! By using these practical tips you’ll help keep sharps out of the recycling stream and people in your community safe!

  • Bring your home-generated sharps to approved drop-off locations. All hospitals and nursing homes in New York State are mandated by law to accept home-generated sharps as a free community service through their sharps collection programs.  
  • Purchase an FDA-approved container or a medical waste mailback kit
  • Make your own sharps disposal container out of a puncture resistant, unbreakable plastic laundry detergent or bleach container. Label the container by clearly writing “contains sharps” in permanent marker on the front and seal the bottle with duct tape once it’s ¾ full. Learn more here.

Visit www.health.ny.gov/sharps-collection for more information on safe sharps disposal!


Other Resources

NYS Safe Sharps Collection Program 

Safe sharps disposal infographic 

Safe sharps disposal locator tool 

FDA guide on safe disposal of needles

FDA-approved sharps disposal containers


Free Images

Free high resolution images formatted for Facebook, Twitter, and newsletters can be downloaded by going to NYDEC's Recycle Right NY Flickr album. *

Images may not be available right away. If you do not see images for the item of the month we recommend waiting a day or two and then checking the Flickr album again for updates.  

Directions to download from Flickr: Click the link to open the Flickr album. Scroll to the image you want and left click on it. The image will now be brought up on the screen by itself. In the far right bottom corner there will be a downward facing arrow with a line under it. Left click on it and choose, Original (1024x512) as the option. It will automatically download.  If you need assistance please e-mail us at recycling@dec.ny.gov.

* If you are experiencing technical difficulties downloading the images from Flickr, please open the Flickr link in a different web browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Sharps

 

Be Sharp


Recycle Right NY is a 12-month education campaign focused on supporting efforts to reduce contamination in household recycling programs across NYS. The campaign focuses on educating residents about one recycling topic per month. Campaign materials including monthly text and photos, as seen above, are available for use in your own social media and digital and print newsletters. For more information about the campaign or on how to get involved e-mail recycling@dec.ny.gov.