Wausau, WI Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Home sharps
- Banned from regular collection carts
- Required disposal
- Designated sharps collection station
- Station standard
- Wis. Admin. Code NR 526.09(5)
- Other medical waste
- Fully noncollectible, licensed hauler only
- Violation forfeiture
- $10 to $1,000 per offense
Summary
Wausau bans home-generated needles and other sharps from the regular trash and recycling stream. Municipal Code Section 6.44.090(a)(15) requires them to go to a designated sharps collection station instead, a site defined in Section 6.44.010 as one operated in compliance with Wis. Admin. Code NR 526.09(5).
Sharps collection station means a drop-off site for home generated sharps operated in compliance with Wis. Admin. Code NR § 526.09(5). ... (a)No person shall set the following materials out for collection: ... (15)Medical waste, except home-generated sharps which shall be deposited at a designated sharps collection station;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
44's list of noncollectible materials bars medical waste from being set out for the City's residential collector at all, except for one carve-out: home-generated sharps, which residents must instead deposit at a designated sharps collection station rather than the curbside cart. 010 as a drop-off site for home-generated sharps operated in compliance with the state administrative rule on sharps management, Wis. Admin. 09(5), so Wausau's ordinance leans on the state standard rather than running its own separate technical specification. 090(c). 140(a) to check for noncollectible materials, including improperly discarded sharps, being placed with regular residential solid waste or recyclables.
Violations & Fines
Setting sharps or other medical waste out with regular residential solid waste or recyclables violates the noncollectible-materials rule of Section 6.44.090(a). Because that section is not among the enhanced-penalty provisions listed in Section 6.44.140(c)(1), violators face the chapter's general forfeiture of not less than $10.00 nor more than $1,000.00 under Section 6.44.140(c)(2), and the property owner or occupant of the property bears responsibility under Section 6.44.090(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I throw used needles in my garbage cart in Wausau?
What counts as a sharps collection station under the code?
What happens if sharps end up in the regular trash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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