Compton, CA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

6(b), inside the Special Collections provisions of Chapter 21, singles out sharps by name alongside medical waste, hazardous waste such as tires, oil and antifreeze, household hazardous waste, universal waste, battery acid, and any poisonous, caustic or toxic material capable of damaging clothing or injuring a person. ' Instead, the ordinance requires that such items be 'collected at the owner's or occupant's expense only after arrangements have been made for such collection in accordance with all applicable law,' meaning a resident with used syringes cannot simply drop them in the black cart and must instead set up a dedicated sharps pickup, mail-back kit, or drop-off through a household hazardous waste program before disposal.

in any container provided by an authorized collector,' giving code enforcement two overlapping sections to charge from. The rule protects collection crews and material recovery facility workers from needle-stick injuries during automated and manual sorting, which is why sharps sit in the same clause as battery acid and other injury-causing hazards rather than being treated as ordinary trash.