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Do you dispose of used needles, syringes, lancets, and other sharps in a dedicated sharps container? For this question, "sharps container” includes heavy-duty plastic containers such as an empty laundry detergent bottle or plastic coffee container.
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I struggle with this question.
Often is my answer. The ones that are used.
The unused are usually disposed of in normal trash. The thinking being is they pose no risk of Aids or disease to sanitation workers. Is this line of thing correct or warranted?
Per the reply by jo above, the person that gets stuck doesn’t know the material is clean. Any sharp, used or not, is best disposed of per your local policy. In France, where I live, sharps containers are distributed by the pharmacy and, once full, any pharmacy is obligated to accept them. If the sharp is unused and not expired, the pharmacy can submit it to a professional channel for recycling.
I always dispose of all of my sharps in a dedicated sharps container. It is safe for others. Over the years, I have seen and heard stories about people who have stepped on, or found sharps at beaches, around land fills, and just on the streets.
I use a large, empty, plastic coffee container and when full, I duct tape the lid to it and toss in garbage.
Our town provides free sharps containers as well as a bin at the town hall to dispose of the sharps containers.
I put all of my diabetes supplies in a heavy duty laundry detergent container and bring it to the medical collection drop off where I live. I had an Uncle who was a sanitation worker and he got stuck many times by syringes. It doesn’t matter to the person getting stuck that the pen needle or the syringe was never used or that you don’t have any diseases, because they don’t know that. When ever he got stuck he had to go through a protocol of different shots and tests. So I am always very careful.
Putting sharps in the regular trash is not allowed in my area. I use a large dedicated sharps container under my bathroom sink with pre-paid return shipping. I’ve been working on filling it up for ~12 years. I understand that some local pharmacies and hospitals accept sharps but I’ve never investigated further. I seal nonmedical sharps, like broken glass or razor blades, in a tough plastic container before adding to my regular trash. I don’t want to hurt anyone.
I’ll be glad when Dexcom releases the G7, I’ve been using a 5 Gal. Sharps container and filled 2 of them with G6 Injectors
I used to use a container and take it to my doctor’s office or pharmacy. The doctor retired and the new doctor won’t accept the containers. The pharmacy is also no longer accepting containers. But, I also no longer have a need for the containers.
I use Afrezza as my quick acting insulin, so there are no needles to dispose of. For my basal injections, I use the BD Autoshield Duo. After use, the needles are self-contained in the device itself, so they can be safely disposed of.
Yes, as you described, then taped shut, marked “Sharps”. This is on directing of our county’s waste management company.
Amazon sells these cute travel sharps containers that I have in my daily diabetes supplies. I have used a heavy duty laundry container in the past.
I collect in any thick plastic container. Then I follow my state’s law to wrap in tape to secure the lid, mark with SHARPS. it can then go in the regular trash.
Everything except lancet needles. For those I reattach the safety cap and throw in trash.
Used a 2-liter club soda bottle back when I was on MDI. With a pump, I use that snazzy tubular container my single malt scotch* comes in. It’s not perfect, but lid stays on really tight, the tube is heavy cardboard and not penetrable, and none of my D stuff would be very easy to poke yourself on accidentally–you’d have to work at it.
*Balvenie Doublewood, 12 year-old.
I use empty plastic flip-top Clorox wipes containers. I write SHARPS on the side and top with permanent maker. When full I seal with heavy duty tape and drop off at local medical waste collection site affiliated with nearby hospital.
My community has a sharps container exchange program through the fire department. I drop off my full container and get a new empty one.
All needles get cut with dog nail clipper & dropped into Sharps container. Syringes (no needle) get tossed into plastic trash.
I throw lancets, G6 sensors, and autofills in the trash, put syringe needles in the autofill container and cap it, Hmmm. Maybe I should do differently?
I use a BD Safe-Clip. It is small, holds many clipped needles, and allows me to dispose the syringes in the regular trash since they have no needles.
I have never put the Dexcom sensor inserter into the sharps container. I just spent some online time looking into to how to accomplish this task and will start to do so.
My infusion sets come in a plastic container that snaps closed. The syringe needle goes into it and goes in the trash.
I dispose of all needles (even if not used) in a “sharps container. The state I live in requires that I use a said sharps container (with all the proper labelling, etc) and it can _not_ be thrown in the trash. I either have to use a service (like Stericycle) or drive to the dump that accepts medical waste a few times a year.
The Dexcom G6 inserters are the the hardest. I whack them open with a hammer and just put the needle device thingy in my sharps container. (This was the recommended solution I received from a fellow T1D.) The rest of the plastic stuff has to go into the trash.
My only sharps are the infusion set inserter needles and my Dexcom sensor inserters. Both of those are designed with packaging that IS QUALIFIED AS self contained approved sharps disposal container local law says can go in trash.
My syringes used to fill pump cartridges have needles that I remove , but I haven’t gotten rid of them in years and can’t afford expense of proper disposal so plan on taking them to work to toss into the sharps disposal container they have in the bathroom.
I put in a box and then burn it in a burn barrel til all is gone
I return all used needles to the pharmacy for waste management
Although our pharmacies sell the containers, they don’t take them back once filled and our town has no plan for how they are to be disposed of. So, sadly, it is pointless. PA is way behind in proper recycling and waste management measures.