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Sharps Supply & Treatment Costs

Sharps collection involves more than just picking up needles — it includes the cost of supplying containers, transporting them safely, and disposing of the waste in a compliant, safe manner. Here’s how Waster charges for these services and what drives the cost.

✅ What Costs Waster Includes

From Waster’s service page:

  • Scheduled collection of sealed sharps containers (sizes: 1.4 L, 1.8 L, 3 L, and 5 L).

  • EPA / waste tracking fees are included. 

  • An additional site visit fee per collection appointment. 

  • Option of “one-off” collection vs ongoing scheduled collection.

  • Container supply charges: if you need new containers supplied by Waster, there is a per-unit drop-off cost.

✅ Sample Prices

Here are example costs (exclusive of GST) from Waster’s site for metro areas:

Container Size Collection Price (scheduled service) Drop-off New Container Price
1.4 L Price per container (varies by frequency) ~$3.90 per unit
1.8 L Same per-container rate as 1.4 L/3 L/5 L for the collection service ~$5.30 per unit 
3.0 L Same per-container rate for collection  ~$6.10 per unit 
5.0 L Same per-container rate for collection  ~$12.50 per unit 

Plus there's a site-visit fee each time a collection happens (for example, ~$89.50+GST for scheduled visits in some regions) and/or a higher fee for one-off service visits. 

❌ What Costs Are Not Included

  • The container supply cost is separate if you don’t already have a compatible sharps container. Waster

  • Costs for non-sharps medical waste (infectious, pathological, cytotoxic, etc.) are not included under a sharps collection service. These are separate medical waste streams.

  • Household sharps (personal, non-business) generally are not covered under Waster’s commercial sharps pricing.

💡 What Drives the Cost

Here are the main factors that affect overall cost:

  • Container size and number – larger or more containers = higher cost.

  • Collection frequency vs one-off collection – ongoing scheduled service tends to spread fixed costs and can be more cost-efficient per container.

  • Transport and disposal – safe transport, compliant licensed facilities, and disposal/treatment all have regulated cost inputs.

  • Site visit logistics – travel distance, site access, and whether extra handling is required.

  • Regulations – EPA fees, tracking, and compliance requirements add to cost.

Best Practices to Minimise Costs

  • Use smaller containers if your volume of sharps is low.

  • Schedule regular service so you don’t over-fill containers (which causes safety risks and might incur charges).

  • Keep containers sealed, labelled, and ready for pickup to avoid extra handling or safety adjustments.

👉 Explore Waster’s medical and clinical waste collection services in our online shop.

📥 Download now: Free PDF Business Owners Guide to Types of Medical Waste Bins