Board of Health OK’s Policies on Home Sharps and Geothermal Wells

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

In an effort to comply with new state regulations regarding the collection of used hypodermic needles (home sharps), Bedford’s Board of Health unanimously approved a policy that provides for twice yearly “drive-through“ collections at the Police Station. As of July 1, 2012, sharps can no longer be thrown into household trash; they must be collected in containers, such as those manufactured for the purpose by Stericycle or in hard-plastic laundry detergent bottles.

The first collection date under the new policy will be Saturday, September 29, at the Police Station.

Information about the collection will be posted on the Board of Health’s website closer to the date: https://www.town.bedford.ma.us/index.php/departments/health. You can also call the Board of Health Office, at 781-275-6507, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.

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Geothermal Wells

The Board of Health voted on Monday to approve a policy regarding closed-loop geothermal wells and to charge a fee of $100 per project. This is in line with the fee that is charged for a permit to dig an irrigation well.

Ground-source or closed-loop geothermal systems are a type of alternative energy that during cold weather pumps stored heat from the ground into buildings. The same system is used to lower interior temperatures during summer, the ground serving as a source of cooling as well as heating. The depth from which heat or cooling is drawn—usually 20 feet below ground level—maintains a steady temperature of between 56 and 58 degrees year-round.

To construct a geothermal system, a series of wells must be dug to harvest the heat or the cold. The system is called “closed loop” because a mixture of water, food-grade propylene glycol, and antifreeze circulates perpetually in a single, self-contained piping system.

The Board of Health’s involvement in such projects is required because there is a chance of spillage and aquifer contamination during the construction process.

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