Whatcom County, WA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- WCC 24.06.040
- Household cart ban
- once a collection station exists
- Collection station cap
- 500 lbs sharps stored at once
- Generator size limit
- under 50 lbs/month accepted
- Retractable sharps exemption
- containers up to 2 gallons
- Operator requirement
- director registration, no permit
Summary
Whatcom County Code 24.06.040 bars residents from tossing loose sharps in the regular trash cart once a residential sharps collection station exists, and separately licenses any sharps collection station through the county Health Department's Solid Waste Program.
A residential generator shall not dispose of sharps into cans, carts, drop boxes or other containers in which refuse, trash or solid waste is placed for collection if a sharps collection station has been established for residential sharps waste. ... D. Sharps Collection Stations. No person shall operate or maintain a sharps collection station unless the facility meets all of the following requirements: 1. The collection station accepts only sharps in sharps containers from residential and biomedical waste generators that generate less than 50 pounds of sharps per month, including items which may be mixed with the sharps. 2. The sharps collection station stores no more than 500 pounds of sharps at any one time. 3. All sharps shall be contained in accordance with the requirements of subsections (C)(3) and (C)(4) of this section. 4. The owner or operator submits a plan of operation to the director for review and approval prior to operation. 5. The owner must obtain registration from the director. A permit is not required.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4963078; v4 updated 2026-06-23; through 06-23-2026).
Full Breakdown
040(B)(8), a residential generator may not dispose of sharps into cans, carts, drop boxes or other containers used for refuse, trash or solid waste collection once a sharps collection station has been established for residential sharps waste in the area. 040(D) sets the siting standard for any sharps collection station: it may accept only sharps from residential and biomedical waste generators producing under 50 pounds per month, may store no more than 500 pounds of sharps at any time, must have an approved plan of operation on file with the county Health Department director, and the owner must obtain registration from the director (no permit is required for a collection-station-only operation).
Transportation off-site must follow the chapter's subsection (E) hauler standards. Biomedical waste generators who treat sharps on-site, rather than route them to a collection station, need a full permit under subsection (B)(6), unless they qualify for the small-generator exemption in (B)(7) by treating under 50 pounds monthly with an approved treatment plan and director-approved encapsulation before disposal.
Violations & Fines
Whatcom County's Health Department Solid Waste Program administers Chapter 24.06 and enforces it against generators and collection-station operators, not individual dumping incidents in isolation; the chapter's violation definition (§ 24.06.030) is built around exceeding a 0.3 percent infectious-waste acceptance limit at a treatment facility on a monthly basis. Operating a sharps collection station without the required director registration and approved plan of operation, or disposing of household sharps in the regular cart where a collection station already exists, puts the generator or operator out of compliance with 24.06.040 and subject to the chapter's solid waste enforcement and permit-revocation authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put used needles in my regular trash cart in Whatcom County?
Is there any exception for small amounts of sharps at home?
What does it take to run a sharps collection station in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whatcom County
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