Glendale, AZ Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 18-151(b)(4)
- Sharps container
- Original/similar container, sealed bag
- Final disposal
- Approved pathogenic waste incinerator
- Hauler permit fee
- $200 per vehicle, annual
- Storage cross-check
- Must meet A.R.S. § 36-2821 et seq.
Summary
Glendale bans dumping hazardous or medical waste in the city and sets a specific handling chain for sharps: needles, syringes and scalpels must go into a puncture-resistant container, then a sealed bag, then a permitted pathogenic waste incinerator.
Sharps: Shall include any waste capable of producing injury, but not limited to, needles, syringes, scalpels, and disposal instruments. All sharps from sickrooms, hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, veterinarians' offices or animal hospitals shall be contained in the original or similar container, placed in plastic or wet-strength paper bag, tied securely, and disposed of in pathogenic waste incinerator approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
City Code Chapter 18, Article IV governs hazardous and medical waste. Section 18-151(a) makes it unlawful for any person to cause, allow or permit the disposal of hazardous or medical wastes within the City except as the article provides. Subsection (b)(4) defines sharps to include needles, syringes, scalpels and other disposal instruments capable of producing injury, and requires that sharps generated at sickrooms, hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, veterinarians' offices or animal hospitals be contained in the original or a similar puncture-resistant container, placed inside a plastic or wet-strength paper bag, tied securely, and disposed of in a pathogenic waste incinerator approved by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
), and any Maricopa County Department of Health Services rules. Anyone who collects and disposes of hazardous or medical waste commercially, including sharps haulers, must hold a hazardous/medical wastes permit under Section 18-154 and pay a $200 annual per-vehicle license fee; those vehicles must be used solely within the City for that collection, transportation and disposal work.
Violations & Fines
Unlawful disposal under Section 18-151(a) exposes a violator to removal costs: Section 18-153 lets the City remove improperly disposed, generated, stored or transported hazardous or medical waste without prior notice, and bills the violator for the full cost of managing, removing or cleaning it up. A violator also risks suspension or revocation of collection or disposal service privileges under Section 18-5.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I throw used needles in my regular trash in Glendale?
Who can legally collect sharps waste in Glendale?
What happens if hazardous waste is dumped illegally in Glendale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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