US3800644A

US3800644A - Destruction and disposal device for hypodermic syringes or the like

Info

Publication number: US3800644A
Application number: US00258976A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Garvis; M Beer
Original assignee: INFORMATION CONSULTANTS Inc
Current assignee: INFORMATION CONSULTANTS Inc
Priority date: 1972-06-02
Filing date: 1972-06-02
Publication date: 1974-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-02

Abstract

A destruction and disposal device for hypodermic syringes, vials ampules, or the like, comprising a plurality of cutting blades moveable into and out of shearing relationship. A syringe or the like to be destroyed is disposed between the blades and is severed at a plurality of points along its axis, simultaneously. Means are provided for automatically feeding the articles to be destroyed to the cutting area and for automatically disposing of the cut remnants.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Garvis et a1. Apr. 2, 1 974 [54] DESTRUCTION AND DISPOSAL DEVICE 2,594,974 4 1952 Mylting 241/36 FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES OR THE 1,286,796 12/1918 Schaffcr 83/417 LIKE 1,446,713 2/1923 Maccij 83/417 X [75] Inventors: if: g t, 1 1 Primary ExaminerWillic G. Abercrombic M m eyema at Attorney, Agent, or FirmE. F. Dyson; M. R. Green- [73] Assignee: Information Consultants, Inc., stein; P. Visserman Washington, DC. 22 Filed: June 2, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT PP N031 258,976 A destruction and disposal device for hypodermic syringes, vials ampules, or the like, comprising a plural- 52 U.S. c1 83/145 83/417 83/4253 clming blades 'Ovfiable and Shearing 51 Int. Cl 132w 7/06 relatiorShip- A Syringe the like be destmyed is [58] Field of Search 83/81 82 145 0 417 disposed between the blades and is severed at a plural- 83/734: 42,52 2 ity of points along its axis, simultaneously. Means are 7 7 provided for automatically feeding the articles to be [56] References Cited destroyed to the cutting area and for automatically UNITED STATES PATENTS disposing of the cut remnants.

1,259,213 3/1918 Crawford. 83/145 12 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures MOTOR coNTno1 W0} /7 l7 4 q: HIGH LOW CURRENT. mg??? CURRENT sznsoa SENSOR n2 I715 1 REVERSE $2 AND STOP ClR CUlT PATENIEBAPR 2mm 3.800.644

SHEU 1 [IF 3 MOTOR CONTROL- I70 /7 17 4 q; HIGH Lbw CURRENT m g CURRENT SENSOR z SENSOR I v I715 REVERSE 31%} AND STOP CIRCUIT PATENTEBAPR 2 m4 SHEEI 3 (IF 3 DESTRUCTION AND DISPOSAL DEVICE FOR HYPODERMIC SYRINGES OR THE LIKE material such as polyethylene, rigid plastic material, or

glass. The use of disposable hypodermic syringes eliminates the costly sterilization and handling procedures associated with reusable syringes. More significantly, however, the use of disposable syringes minimzes the possibility of infections being transmitted to subsequent patients and guarantees that no ,undue trauma will be caused on account of an overused, dull needle.

While the use of disposable hypodermic syringes is generally advantageous, there are some associated disadvantages. Used hypodermic syringes often fall into the hands of children andnarcotic addicts. This not only fosters the use of illegal drugs but these syringes frequently contain a residue of substances which are harmful, and the needles are often contaminated such that contact therewith may cause the spread of contagious disease or induce infection. In fact, the problem has been so acute and prevalent that many states have enacted criminal laws prohibiting the disposal of hypodermic syringes without prior destruction thereof.

A related, although less serious, problem exists with respect to ampules, vials, and similar small medicine containers. Proper health and safety practices dictate that these also be destroyed prior to disposal to prevent dangerous substances from falling into unauthorized hands.

As a result of the circumstances described above, there have been many previous attempts to provide devices for the destruction of hypodermic syringes. For example, ovens have been used to melt the syringe portion, but these leave an unaffected needle portion which can be salvaged and reused. On the other hand, cutting devices which sever the needle portion often leave the syring portion unharmed. Also, even a small segment of a needle is dangerous and can often be reused. Most of these devices require manual operation of the destruction device and handling of the destroyed syringe, thus increasing the likelihood of injury and infection to the user. Devices capable of crushing the entire syring together with the needle component are generally very large and heavy. Consequently, they must be centrally located in a hospital or clinic facility with the syringes being accumulated near the points of use until they can be brought to the destruction facility. Those units which are sufficiently compact to be located near the point of use require manual intervention at some point in the cycle and cannot automatically handle a quantity of syringes.

Accordingly, it is an objective of this invention to provide a device which will totally destroy or otherwise mutilateand render unusable disposable hypodermic syringes and the needles therefor.

It is another objective of this invention to provide a device which will automatically destroy a quantity of hypodermic syringes without any further human intervention after initial loading.

it is yet another objective of this invention to provide an automatichypodermic syringe destruction device which is sufficiently compact, quiet, and simple to operate. I

It is another objective of this invention to provide an automatic hypodermic syringe destruction device which, because of its lightness of weight and compactness can be located near the points of use of the syringas.

A further objective of this invention is to provide a device which simultaneously severs the syrings and needle at several points along the lengths thereof.

It is yet another objective of this invention that all of i the syringes or the like initially loaded into the hopper will be destroyed and the remnants dispensed into a collection bin without further human contact therewith.

In view of the foregoing and in a broad sense, the present invention is directed to an automatic device adapted to mechanically shear a disposable hypodermic syringe in a single operation at a plurality of points along its axis.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the destruction device includes a framework, an inclined hopper or tray on said framework, into which an operator places a quantity of syringes, ampules, vials, or similar small medicine containers. At the bottom; of this hopper is an indexing gate which allows a single unit to fall through into the destruction chamber or trough below during each cycle of the device. Along one side of this destruction chamber. is a plurality of fixed cutting blades. Opposite thereto, and arranged to intermesh with the fixed blades in a shearing action, is a second plurality of movable cutting blades mounted on a bracket slidably received on guide rods mounted on the framework. The bracket advances causing the moving blades to intermesh with the fixed blades, thereby mechanically shearing the object in the destruction chamher at a plurality of points along its axis simultaneously. The moving blades are then retracted, at which time a door forming the bottom wall of the'destruction chamber is automatically opened allowing the remnants to fall into a collection bin. To minimize the danger of infection, aerosal disinfectant is then sprayed into the bin. As the movable blades retract, clearing fingers dislodge any remnants adhering to either of the sets of cutting blades, the destruction chamber bottom door closes, and the indexing gate allows the next object to drop into the chamber, whereupon the cycle repeats itself. Electronic control circuitry is provided to reverse the blade advance if the cutting blades become jammed and to stop the device after the last object in the hopper has been destroyed.

In the preferred embodiment, the movable blades are driven in 'a linear path by a rotary motor having a driven shaft extending therefrom for rotation on an axis, which extends transversely to the direction of movement of the blades. A crank is affixed to the driven shaft for rotation therewith. A connecting rod is connected at one end to the bracket supporting the movable blades and at the other end to the crank whereby when the shaft is rotated, the movable blades will be driven back and forth in a linear path. A cam is affixed to the driven shaft for rotation therewith and has two cam followers on each side thereof and in engagement therewith. One of the followers is operably connected to the pivotally mounted indexing gate by means of a connecting rod and the other follower is operably connected to the pivotally mounted bottom wall or door of the destructing chamber by another connecting rod. The cam is oriented on the shaft in a predetermined angular position relative to the point of connection of the crank and the connecting rod extruding to the movable blades, such that the indexing gate and the bottom wall of the destruction chamber will be actuated in the proper sequence relative to the cutting operation of the blades.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following detailed description when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the destruction and disposal device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1 partially in cross section;

FIG. 3 is a side view in elevation of the device of FIG. 1 partially in cross section;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the device of this invention during a particular phase of operation; and 4 FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the device of thisinvention during a particular phase of operation.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like parts, the destruction and disposal device of this invention is generally indicated by the numeral and is comprised basically of four sections mounted on a common framework. The four sections include a storing and feeding section generally indicated by the numeral 12, a cutting section generally indicated by the numeral 14, a power section generally indicated by the numeral 16. In order to better understand the description of the drawings, the basic operation of the device of this invention might again be briefly repeated. A plurality of syringes, ampules, vials, or the like are placed in the feeding section and one article at a time is dispensed into the cutting section just prior to the beginning'of the cutting cycle. The article is cut at a plurality of points along its longitudinal axis simultaneously, the cut remanents are dispensed into the collection bin 18, shown in dotted lines. The power section 16 includes means for controlling the feeding operation, the cutting operation and the dispensing operation automatically and in the proper sequence. One complete cycle consists of feeding, cutting and dispensing the cut particles into the collection bin 18.

Again referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, the destruction and disposal device 10 consists of a framework generally indicated by the numeral 20 for commonly mounting the above referred to sectional components of this invention. The framework is generally rectangular in configuration and includes four

upstanding side walls

22, 24, 26 and 28 and a floor 30. The floor lies generally in a plane intermediate the vertical heights of the side walls such that the walls project above and below the floor thereby defining a channel for receiving a decorative and protective housing (not shown) on both the underside and top side of the framework.

The storing and feeding section 12, best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 comprises an enclosed hopper or tray 32 having

upstanding side walls

34 and 36. The tray is supported at its upper end by a pair of standards 38, (one on each side of the tray) which extend from and are affixed to the floor 30. The tray is supported at its lower or forward end by an elongated flange 40 which is affixed to the upper edge of the movable cutting blades clearing gate 42, the latter being more fully described below. Adjacent the lower or forward end of the tray is an indexing gate, generally indicated by the numeral 44, extending transversely across the tray and mounted to the tray at hinges 46 for pivotal movement within an opening 48 in the tray. The gate includes an angular pickup section 50 and a curvilinear stop portion 52. A crank arm 54 is attached at one end thereof to the outer end of the portion 52. A crank arm 54 is attached at one end thereof to the outer end of the portion 52. The crank arm 54 is connected at its other to the power section by means of a connecting rod for automatic operation thereof as will be explained more fully hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that a plurality of syringes or the like can be placed in the tray and prevented from moving into-the cutting section by means of the indexing gate 44. The gate is normally in the position shown in FIG. 4, wherein the pickup section 50 receives a syringe or the like 53. When the gate is pivoted upwardly to feed a syringe to the cutting section, the portion 52 will then project through the opening and hold the remaining syringes in position above the indexing gate. The receiving section 50 will release its load and permit it to roll down into the cutting section as diagrammatically illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 3.

The cutter section 14 comprises a fixed set of blades 60 and a movable set of blades 62. The fixed set is mounted to an upright supporting flange 64 which in turn is affixed to the floor 30 of the framework 20. Each of the fixed and movable sets of blades comprises a plurality of laterally aligned

blades

66 and 68 respectively, having vertically extending sharpened cutting edges. The movable set 62 moves toward and away from the set of fixed blades 60 and has a first position as shown in FIG. 3 and a second position as shown in FIG. 4 wherein the individual blades meet in shearing intermeshed relationship. A clearing gate 42 is provided for the movable set of blades and has aplurality of vertically extending apertures 43. The purpose of the gate 42 is to wipe the individual cutting blades 68 of the movable set 62 after each cutting operation. Likewise, a clearing gate 70 having vertically extending apertures 72 is provided for the fixed set 60.

A destruction chamber or trough 74 is defined between the

gates

42 and 70 and receives the articles to be destroyed from the feeding section. The blades 68 of the movable set 62 are mounted on a laterally extending bracket 76 which is slidably mounted at each side thereof on

tubular guide rods

78 and 80. The guide rods are received in openings 82 which are lined with a suitable bearing material 84. The guide rods are in turn each mounted at one end thereof to the upright fixed blade supporting plate 64 and at the other end to a pair of upstanding brackets 86. The clearing gate 70 for the set of fixed blades 60 is also slidably supported on the guide rods 78 and by means of supporting

blocks

88 and 90 on each end thereof. Likewise the supporting blocks each have an opening therethrough for receiving the guide rods which opening is lined with suitable bearing material. The interaction between the movable gate 70 and the movable set of cutting blades 62 will be more fully described hereinafter.

The dispensing and collection'section includes a trapdoor 92 which'is pivotally attached to the clearing gate 42 and which forms the bottom wall of the destruction chamber 74. The door is pivoted to the open position scription of the power section, means are provided for" opening of the door or bottom wall 92 in the proper sequence relative to the cutting operation. v Reference is now made to the power section which includes a rotary motor 100 having a drive shaft 102 and a sprocket wheel 104 attached to the outer end thereof. A second and larger sprocket wheel 106 is in driving engagement with the sprocket 104 through.

chain 108. Sprocket 106 is affixed to a shaft 110 which is rotatable on an axis extending transversely to the direction of movement of the movable set of cutting blades 62. The shaft 110 is rotatably journaled in a pair of axially spaced pillar blocks 112 and 114 which are affixed to the floor 30 of the framework by any suitable fastening means such as bolts 116. A crank 118 is affixed to the shaft for rotation therewith. A push rod assembly 120 is attached to the rear side of the bracket 76 which supports the movable set of cutting blades 62. The push rod assembly 120 consists of a laterally extending connecting bracket 122 and a push rod 124 which is attached to the bracket 122 at one end thereof and is reinforced by triangular reinforcing members 126. The push rod 124 is attached at its other end to the crank 1 18 at a point eccentric to the axis of rotation of the shaft 1 10. Any suitable means may be utilized for attaching the push rod 124 to the crank such as a threaded bolt 128 shown in FIG. 2. The bolt 128 extends through a bearing-material-lined aperture 130 and is threadably received in a recess 132 in the crank 118. lt-can be seen that-upon rotation of the crank, the movable set of cutting blades will be caused to move back and forth in a linear path as indicated by the arrows.

The actuating means for the gate 44 and the trapdoor 92 comprises a pair of

cams

134 and 136 respectively. Cam 134 is provided with a lug 138 on the periphery thereof while the cam 136 is provided with lug 140. A pair of

followers

142 and 144 are arranged on opposite sides of the cams as best seen in FIG. 3. The

followers

142 and 144 are substantially identical and are pivotally connected to the floor 30 of the framework 20 by means of

hinges

146 and 148 respectively. As seen in FIG. 2, the two followers areoffset axially of the shaft 110.and are in alignment with their respective cams, follower 142 being operably engaged with cam 136 and follower 144 being operably engaged with cam 134. The followers are maintained in engagement with their respective cams by means of a spring 146 connected to and extending between the upper ends of the

followers

142 and 144.

A connecting rod 148 operably connects cam follower 144 to the crank arm 54 of the indexing gate 44. During the greater portion ofthe revolution of the cam the indexing gate is in the position shown in FIG. 4.

When the lug pushes the follower out to the full line position as shown in FIG. 3, the indexing gate moves to the position shown in FIG. 3 to dispense an article to the production chamber. The trapdoor 92 is operably connected to follower 142 by means of connecting rod 150. When the lug pushes the follower 142 outwardly to the dotted line position as shown in FIG. 3, the door will be pivoted to the open position as shown in FIG. 5 to dispense the cut remanents to the collection bin below. The

cams

134 and 136, and more particularly, the lugs 138 and 140 thereon, are angularly oriented relative to the eccentric connection of the push rod 124 and the crank l 18 to insure that the index gate and the trapdoor will be actuated in the proper se quence relative to the cutting operation.

In operation, the tray 32 is loaded with a plurality of syringes, ampules vials or the like 53, after which the articles need not be again touched by human hands. The motor is energized and as the shaft 1 10 rotates lug 138 will first come into contact with follower 144 to actuate the indexing, gate to dispense an article to the destruction chamber 74. At this stage, the movable set of cutter blades 62 will be moving toward the destruction chamber while the indexing gate will be moving back to the stop position to receive another article. The movable cutting blades and the fixed cutting blades meet in shearing relationship as seen in FIG. 4 to cut the syringe at a plurality of points along its axis simultaneously. The needle attached to the syringe is also cut or bent to such a configuration that it is no longer usable. It is to be noted in FIG. 4 that the movable clearing gate 70 does not move until the article to be cut is forced against it by means of the movable set of cutting blades 62. The gate is free to move in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 4. On the retraction cycle of the movable cutter blades, the ends of the supporting bracket 76 will engage the inwardly bent end of a trip bracket 162. There is a trip bracket for each side of the cutter blade section, and one end of each thereof is affixed to the movable clearing gate 70. The other end of the trip lever 162 is not affixed to the ends of the bracket 76. It can be seen that when the movable cutter blades first begin to move toward the fixed blades, the gate 70'will not move. It is only when the article to be cut is'forced against the gate that the gate will move. On the retraction cycle of the cutter blades, the inwardly bent projection 160 will be engaged to pull the movable clearing gate 70 back to its starting position. At the time the cutter blades begin to retract, the lug 140 on the cam 136 will push the follower 142 outwardly to open the trapdoor 92, allowing the contents of the destruction chamber to fall into the collection bin below.

Aria'utomatic motor control is provided as diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 1. The motor control arrangement provides logic circuitry to stop the cutting blade advance, reverse the direction of motion, and iinally stop the machine, should an object jam in the destruction chamber. In addition, the logic circuitryv mum resistance is encountered in cutting a particular article in the destruction chamber. Once this level is exceeded, reverse and stop circuitry 172 reverses the rotation of the rotary motor 100, causing the blades to withdraw to the fully opened position, at which time the machine is shut off. To automatically shut the machine off after all the syringes have been destroyed, the current drawn by the rotary motor 100 is sensed by a low current sensor 173 in combination with a synchronizer 174. If the current being drawn at the time the synchronizer indicates that the blades are about to intermesh approximates the current drawn by the motor during its free travel with no resistance, this is an indication that there is no syringe in the chamber and the stop circuit 175 causes the machine to shut off at the end of that cycle.

In a general manner, while there has been disclosed an effective and efficient embodiment of the invention, it should be well understood that the invention is not limited to such an embodiment 'as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition, and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes comprising a framework, a movable set of aligned cutting blades and a fixed set of cutting blades opposed said movable set, said sets defining a destruction chamber there between, a bottom wall in said chamber, said movable set of blades having a first position spaced from said fixed set, and a second position wherein the blades of said movable set shearingly intermesh with the blades of said fixed set, means for actuating said movable set of blades between said first and said second position to severa syringe in said chamber at a plurality of axially spaced points simultaneously.

2. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 16 including storing and feeding means on said framework for feeding syringes to said chamber, said feeding means comprising an inclined tray and an indexing gate at one end of said tray adjacent said chamber, and means actuating said gate for dispensing one syringe at a time into said chamber.

3. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for actuating said indexing gate comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor, cam means affixed. to said shaft for'r'otation therewith, a follower riding on said cam, a connecting rod affixed at one end to said follower and at the other end thereofto said index gate, whereby said index gate is caused to open and close upon rotation of said cam and movement of said follower.

4. An apparatus for severing hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 1 and including means for wiping and cleaning said blades after each cutting operation.

5. An apparatus for severing hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 2 wherein said bottom wall is pivotally mounted along one side thereof to said framework and including means for opening and closing said bottom wall to dispense the contents of said chamber after each cutting operation.

6. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for actuating said movable set of cutting blades comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor extending transversally to the direction of movement of said movable set of blades, and a rod connecting at one end of said movable set of blades and eccentrically connected at the other end thereof to said shaft.

7. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for opening and closing said bottom wall comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor, cam means affixed to said shaft for rotation therewith, a follower riding on said cam, a connecting rod affixed at one end to said follower and at the other end to said bottom wall, whereby said wall is caused to pivot between opened and closed positions upon rotation of said cam and movement of said follower.

8. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 6 and including control means for said motor, said control means being responsive to the resistance or lack of resistance encountered by the cutter means to reverse the motor upon sensing a predetermined maximum resistance level and to shut down the motor upon sensing a predetermined minimum resistance level.

9. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for actuating said movable set of blades comprises a rotary motor,'a shaft driven by said motor, a push rod connected at one end to said movable blades and at the other end eccentrically to said shaft, said means for actuating said indexing gate comprising cam means fixed to said shaft, a first follower means riding on said cam means and a connecting rod connecting said follower and said indexing gate, and said means for opening and closing said bottom wall comprising a second follower means riding on said cam means and a second connecting rod connecting said follower means and said bottom wall.

10. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 9 wherein said cam means is angularly oriented on said shaft relative to the connection of the push rod and said shaft to actuate the indexing gate and said dispensing means in a predetermined sequence relative to the actuation of said cutter means.

11. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes comprising a framework, a movable set of cutting blades having longitudinally extending cutting edges, a stationary set of cutting blades having longitudinally extending cutting edges, support means for supporting a hypodermic syringe between said sets of cutting blades, means for depositing a syringe on said support means oriented in a direction transverse tosaid cutting edges, means for actuating said movable set of cutting blades in a direction toward said stationary set of cutting blades, whereby a syringe supported between said sets of blades is cut at a plurality of points along its axis simultaneously.

12. An apparatus for severing hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 11 and further comprising a stationary clearing gate for wiping and cleaning said movable set of cutting blades and a movable clearing gate for wiping and cleaning said stationary set of cutting blades, each of said clearing gates having a plurality of vertically extending apertures to allow the passage of said cutting blades, said movable blades being extended through said apertures of said stationary clearing gate upon the movement of said movable set of blades in the direction of said stationary set of blades, said movable clearing gate being movable in toward said stationary set of blades in response to forces exerted against a syringe situated between said sets of cutting blades, and bracket means connected to said movable gate responsive to movement of said movable set for drawing said movable gate away from said stationary set.

* a: a: a:

Claims

1. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes comprising a framework, a movable set of aligned cutting blades and a fixed set of cutting blades opposed said movable set, said sets defining a destruction chamber there between, a bottom wall in said chamber, said movable set of blades having a first position spaced from said fixed set, and a second position wherein the blades of said movable set shearingly intermesh with the blades of said fixed set, means for actuating said movable set of blades between said first and said second position to sever a syringe in said chamber at a plurality of axially spaced points simultaneously.

3. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for actuating said indexing gate comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor, cam means affixed to said shaft for rotation therewith, a follower riding on said cam, a connecting rod affixed at one end to said follower and at the other end thereof to said index gate, whereby said index gate is caused to open and close upon rotation of said cam and movement of said follower.

6. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for actuating said movable set of cutting blades comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor extending trans-versally to the direction of movement of said movable set of blades, and a rod connecting at one end of said movable set of blades and eccentrically connected at the other end thereof to said shaft.

9. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for actuating said movable set of blades comprises a rotary motor, a shaft driven by said motor, a push rod connected at one end to said movable blades and at the other end eccentrically to said shaft, said means for actuating said indexing gate comprising cam means fixed to said shaft, a first follower means riding on said cam means and a connecting rod connecting said follower and said indexing gate, and said means for opening and closing said bottom wall comprising a second follower means riding on said cam means and a second connecting rod connecting said follower means and said bottom wall.

11. An apparatus for destroying hypodermic syringes comprising a framework, a movable set of cutting blades having longitudinally extending cutting edges, a stationary set of cutting blades having longitudinally extending cutting edges, support means for supporting a hypodermic syringe between said sets of cutting blades, means for depositing a syringe on said support means oriented in a direction transverse to said cutting edges, means for actuating said movable set of cutting blades in a direction toward said stationary set of cutting blades, whereby a syringe supported between said sets of blades is cut at a plurality of points along its axis simulTaneously.