How do you dispose of 660 million extra needles?
An unintended consequence of COVID-19 safety procedures has been a surge in trash, from face masks to gloves to, now, the discarded syringes and needles from COVID-19 vaccines. If laid end to end, the needles from the number of vaccine doses needed to inoculate the entire U.S. population—about 660 million—would create enough waste to wrap around the Earth 1.8 times, according to OnSite Waste Technologies, a medical waste disposal company. It’s certainly worthwhile trash to create, but with the vaccine rollout in full effect, and President Joe Biden’s goal to deliver 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days underway, companies that manage medical waste are having to handle this uptick.