Are Sharpsmart’s Reusable Sharps Containers an Infection Risk?

Ever wondered if reusable sharps containers are an infection risk? If so, you’re not alone – but what does the science say?

It’s a question that arises when an organisation is considering the transition from single-use sharps containers to reusable systems, and with staff and patient safety being such a high priority within healthcare, it’s no surprise.

The short answer, supported by peer-reviewed research and international standards, is no. When properly engineered, processed, cleaned to high-level disinfection, and quality-assured, reusable sharps containers do not pose an infection risk to patients, staff, or the clinical environment.

Let’s take a look at the evidence and some of the ways Sharpsmart’s reusable containers support infection prevention and control best practices.

TOPICS WE WILL COVER:

1 / Reusable Sharps Containers Are Low-Risk Environmental Surfaces

2 / What the Research Says About C. diff and Reusable Containers

3 / Is There a Risk of Prions with Reusable Sharps Containers?

4 / How Are Sharpsmart Reusables Decontaminated?

5 / Has a Reusable Sharps Container Ever Caused Infection?

6 / The Real Infection Risk with Sharps Waste Disposal

7 / What Design Features of Sharpsmart Reusables Support Infection Prevention?

8 / So, Are Sharpsmart Containers an Infection Risk?

9 / Are You Looking for IPC-Friendly Sharps Waste Management?

Reusable Sharps Containers Are Low-Risk Environmental Surfaces

One of the biggest misconceptions about reusable sharps containers is that they somehow fall into the same category as surgical instruments or invasive medical devices – they do not.

Technically speaking, sharps containers are classed as environmental surfaces. They’re not used on patients, do not contact sterile tissue, and aren’t involved in clinical procedures beyond disposal – which, in the case of Sharpsmart containers, is hands-free.

A formal peer-reviewed study examining evidence on reusable healthcare waste containers concluded that they pose ‘negligible to nil risk of pathogen transmission’. To put a number to that statement: the probability of reusable waste containers being associated with infection is an extremely low 1 in 400 million.

The design and processing of Sharpsmart’s containers support the reduction of hospital-acquired infections (HAI), and are not a source of HAI. This is because reusable waste containers break the chain of infection.

For infection to occur from a reusable sharps container, multiple unlikely events would need to align simultaneously. The evidence suggests that in real-world healthcare settings, they do not.

Add this to the fact that, never, anywhere in the published literature has an infection transmission been attributed to a reusable sharps container, and you arrive at that same conclusion.

What the Research Says About C. diff and Reusable Containers

Clostridioides difficile is always a concern for environmental contamination in healthcare settings, and it’s another area for reusables that’s been scrutinised in peer-reviewed research.

A multi-centre microbiological study investigated whether reusable sharps containers could contribute to C. diff transmission – containers were sampled in patient rooms and subjected to high-density spore challenges.

The results were reassuring:

The authors of the study concluded that sharps containers – whether reusable or single-use – pose no risk when standard infection prevention practices are followed, aligning with the understanding that sharps containers should be ‘no-touch’ disposal systems.

Is There a Risk of Prions with Reusable Sharps Containers?

Prions are known for their resistance to conventional sterilisation processes and can persist on certain surfaces, particularly surgical instruments exposed to high-risk tissue. However, there are no published reports of prion transmission associated with reusable sharps containers.

Sharps containers are not used on sterile tissue nor reintroduced into patients, and there is no evidence to suggest they present a realistic prion transmission pathway.

In over 40 years of Sharpsmart reusable systems being used in healthcare facilities worldwide, there has never been a documented case of any pathogen transmission from a reusable container to a patient, staff member, or processing worker.

How Are Sharpsmart Reusables Decontaminated?

Container disinfection is another common concern in infection prevention.

Because Sharpsmart containers comply with the international gold standard for reusable sharps containers – BS EN ISO 23907-2:2019 – they have to meet requirements that go beyond washing alone, including:

This is not informal container washing – Sharpsmart’s automated Washsmart process is validated to achieve high-level disinfection through a hands-free, multi-stage, validated, controlled, standards-driven process.

Fun fact for any germophobes: Sharpsmart’s Washsmart process has been repeatedly verified by independent testing labs to exceed decontamination requirements, achieving a 6-log reduction in bacterial load (99.9999%).

Learn more about how our waste containers are cleaned and disinfected.

What about cross-contamination within the healthcare environment?

Reducing surface contact is crucial for infection prevention and control (IPC), especially when potential pathogens are involved. Sharpsmart’s reusable containers are designed to reduce the need for waste handling during use or processing.

Also, only clean, quality-assured containers are transported to facilities and are never mixed with full containers during transport or storage. Every container arrives pre-assembled and bagless, meaning even fewer touches and no hand-tying of dirty waste bags.

Our mobile solutions eliminate the risk of cross-contamination from static bins that are usually left beside patient areas and come into contact with overhanging curtains, and our accessories support the Aseptic Non-Touch Technique (ANTT) and point-of-care disposal, providing healthcare staff with a safe, stable working area that strengthens hospital hygiene.

Has a Reusable Sharps Container Ever Caused Infection Transmission? 

We’ve mentioned this briefly already, but reusable sharps containers have been used internationally since the 1980s, and despite millions (perhaps billions) of reuses worldwide, there are no published reports of disease transmission associated with them.

This is not a marketing claim – it’s an absence of evidence across decades of surveillance, research and medical literature.

In infection prevention and control, history matters. If a product category were associated with disease transmission, we would expect to see it reflected in published data. We do not.

The Real Infection Risk with Sharps Waste Disposal

When people think about infection risk, they often picture dirty, contaminated surfaces; but the primary infection risk associated with sharps waste isn’t the external surface of a container – it’s needlestick injuries (NSIs).

Bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV are not transmitted by aerosols or from clean environmental surfaces, but from ‘stick, splash or scratch’. This is why container design is so important.

Peer-reviewed studies have shown that safety-engineered reusable sharps systems significantly reduce container-associated sharps injuries compared to traditional disposable containers. The RCN Sharps Safety Guidance also reinforces the importance of safety-engineered devices in preventing NSIs.

Reducing disposal-related injuries directly addresses the most credible route of infection transmission linked to sharps waste, and, as it just so happens, Sharpsmart reusables are clinically proven to reduce needlestick injuries by up to 87% and are globally recognised as the safest sharps container in the world.

What Design Features of Sharpsmart Reusables Support Infection Prevention?

Sometimes the debate focuses so intently on theoretical surface contamination that it overlooks the more immediate and well-documented risks associated with sharps containers: incorrect assembly, overfilling, or improper disposal. Beyond the decontamination and high-level disinfection of our Washsmart process, the Sharpsmart container design itself plays a critical role in eliminating such exposure risks.

Sharpsmart’s safety-engineered devices are:

These are just some of the safety features of Sharpsmart reusable sharps containers that reduce overfilling, protrusion injuries and handling errors – all of which are documented contributors to sharps-related exposure events.

So, Are Sharpsmart Containers an Infection Risk?

Based on the peer-reviewed research, regulatory standards and real-world data: no.

Infection prevention is built on data, standards and measurable risk reduction. Reusable sharps containers, when clinically designed and ISO-compliant, meet that standard.

Are You Looking for IPC-Friendly Sharps Waste Management?

An additional infection-prevention bonus of opting for Sharpsmart reusables is that we provide more than just containers and a waste collection service – we take a partnership approach with a fully managed service inside your four walls.

In addition to conducting waste audits and providing training materials, our expert consultants will be on hand to educate all healthcare staff on how a healthcare waste management strategy affects infection prevention and control.

Are you looking for the world’s safest sharps waste disposal solution? Get in touch to learn how we can help you reduce infection risks associated with sharps waste at your facility.