New Medical Device Transforms Biohazard Needles Into Harmless Waste

The new Sterilis device's service could be of particular, help for people with HIV who also do at-home injections of insulin, hormones and other medical treatments. Federal law prohibit used needles and syringes from being throw directly into a regular garbage can. While consumers can purchase sharps container (the red plastic containers developed for the safe disposal of needles) at pharmacies, it can be difficult to find a location that will take the container once it is full.

Currently marketed exclusively to institutions, company representative Michael Ferris envisions a time when neighborhood pharmacies would own their own Sterilis machine and offer its disposal services to individuals who need to get rid of sharps and other biohazard medical waste.

Users simply take a filled medical waste bags or sharps containers,  place them inside the machine; fill a small reservoir with water and use the digital display to start the sterilization process, which typically takes about an hour. After the waste has been processed it is safe to throw away in a normal trash can.

The Sterilis uses a steam sterilization technique pre-approved for use in all 50 States because it meets -- and, according to the company’s website, exceeds -- operating parameters for time, temperature, and pressure established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The Sterilis machine also files the documentation legally required when disposing of biohazardous material. It does this by incorporating real time Wifi-enabled monitoring and built-in software that produces the sterilization documentation required for Regulated Medical Waste compliance/tracking purposes. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) required logs, for each sterilization process are generated, wirelessly transmitted and stored on the cloud.