York County, VA Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

Sec. 19-68(c) of the York County Code lists solid waste that needs special preparation before it can be set out for pickup, and the first category covers hypodermic instruments and other sharp articles. Under Sec. 19-68(c)(1), no person may throw out a hypodermic syringe, hypodermic needle, or any similar injection device without first breaking, disassembling, destroying, or otherwise rendering it inoperative and incapable of reuse, and the item must then be wrapped or otherwise safeguarded so it cannot injure the county's collection personnel. The same section separately bans dumping several other waste streams in county containers outright, including hazardous waste, industrial waste, construction and demolition debris, dead animals, batteries, tires, waste oil, and explosives, and it requires ashes to be cooled and wetted, pressurized cans to be depressurized, and pesticide containers to be emptied before collection.

The Waste Management Division enforces these preparation standards countywide, since the collection service area under Sec. 19-61 covers every property in York County. Sec. 19-68(b) gives the county's contractor authority to refuse collection at any premises where these provisions are being violated, and that refusal does not excuse the owner or occupant from continuing to pay the fees due under Sec. 19-73 while the violation persists. The county's solid waste ordinance does not separately address needle-exchange or harm-reduction program siting; that subject sits outside Chapter 19's collection and disposal framework.