Disposal of waste

[TypeZero.]

Just wondering:

I know needles are supposed to be put in a sharps box but should lancets and test strips be put in aswell?

Test strips also contain blood so if you had HIV or something a poor bin man may get infected

 

[Rokaab]

Just wondering:

I know needles are supposed to be put in a sharps box but should lancets and test strips be put in aswell?

Test strips also contain blood so if you had HIV or something a poor bin man may get infected

Lancets yes - cos they're sharp, test strips no cos they're not sharp .
Sharps bins are for sharp stuff to stop others getting stabbed by said sharp items.

Yes test strips have dried blood on them but so do plasters and those just get put in the normal bins (and as has been mentioned a few times this has been asked before, if stuff with blood on it had to be medically disposed of, every girl who had hit puberty would need to do that).

Edit: you also shouldn't put used libres in them either, but that's more because the libres have batteries in them

 

[TypeZero.]

Lancets yes - cos they're sharp, test strips no cos they're not sharp .
Sharps bins are for sharp stuff to stop others getting stabbed by said sharp items.

Yes test strips have dried blood on them but so do plasters and those just get put in the normal bins (and as has been mentioned a few times this has been asked before, if stuff with blood on it had to be medically disposed of, every girl who had hit puberty would need to do that).

Edit: you also shouldn't put used libres in them either, but that's more because the libres have batteries in them

So suppose you clipped the end of your needles? Could you recycle the rest and only put the tip of the needle in a sharps box?

 

[Rokaab]

So suppose you clipped the end of your needles? Could you recycle the rest and only put the tip of the needle in a sharps box?

Well can you get the whole of the metal needle out of the plastic or are you just clipping the easily visible ends off?
If the metal is still in there its probably not going to get recycled anyways.

I know the needles I have (for backup purposes now) it'd be a right pain to get all the of the metal needle out, so I put the whole thing in the sharps bin. There isn't that much plastic on them anyway.

 

[Antje77]

So suppose you clipped the end of your needles? Could you recycle the rest and only put the tip of the needle in a sharps box?

Yes. You can buy handy little needle clippers to do so. They're box and clipper in one, so no risk of the needle flying away, the clipper eats the needles

 

[Seacrow]

So suppose you clipped the end of your needles? Could you recycle the rest and only put the tip of the needle in a sharps box?

The clipper I get on prescription is a SafeClip. Still can't recycle the remains though, since there is remaining metal firmly held in plastic. The choice is landfill, or medical waste disposal. I don't actually know which is better.

 

[peat5961]

Hallo all

Going a bit of topic the post for Rokabb said

Libre should also not go in a Sharps bin

But when I 1st started using Libre the firms rep showed a group of us at the Hosp how to use the Libre and she said the used Sensor must go in a SHARPS bin as it obviously had a needle and it was contaminated.

is what the Rep said wrong because I’ve been putting my sensor in the Sharps bin for the past year and if not a sharps bin what do you do with it because a has a needle.

Can anyone give tell me what they do with there’s please.

 

[sleepster]

@peat5961 there's no needle on a used sensor, it's a filament and it can't stab you. Mine go in the bin.
I put the grey bit of the sensor applicator in the sharps bin but I have no idea if that's right

 

[Rokaab]

is what the Rep said wrong because I’ve been putting my sensor in the Sharps bin for the past year and if not a sharps bin what do you do with it because a has a needle.

The sensor does not have a needle (it has a filament that isn't sharp), the needle is in the applicator for it, and stays in there, so technically its the applicator that should go in the sharps bin.

Edit: @sleepster just beat me to it

 

[peat5961]

Thank you for the info cannot understand why the Rep from Libre that handed them out told us to put the sensor in a SHARPS bin when someone asked her what to do with the waste.

Because of what she said I’ve been putting mine in the Sharps bin.

Again thanks for the ifo

 

[Hopeful34]

When I started getting libre on prescription, rep and nurse from diabetes clinic told us to put used sensor and applicator in the sharps bin. Had to smile when libre started being prescribed by gp, rather than the hospital, as a 7 litre sharps bin arrived as well. Not sure how they though I'd been disposing the libre for the previous year!!

 

[becca59]

When I started getting libre on prescription, rep and nurse from diabetes clinic told us to put used sensor and applicator in the sharps bin. Had to smile when libre started being prescribed by gp, rather than the hospital, as a 7 litre sharps bin arrived as well. Not sure how they though I'd been disposing the libre for the previous year!!

Same here, Gp didn’t know why I’d been prescribed it and they didn’t want to have it back full like the 1 litre one. Rang hospital team who told me to put everything in and that the Gp didn’t have a choice as CCG had decreed they must. What a palaver!

 

[Hopeful34]

I'm very fortunate in that respect as the council deliver and collect sharps bins, so am going to continue down that route unless anyone tells me otherwise, even though it's been added to my repeat prescriptions. Worked well for years, so why change it.

 

[EMM30]

I have a real big issue regarding disposal of needles, Libre sensors and all the other bits supplied with libre. Hve such a build up and every medical profession I ask cannot provide me with sharp bins. If I ordered sharp bins through and somewhere where I can u take them for disposal. 100s of them need to sort. Hve been told by medical staff to put needles in plastic bottle and through in bin. This is shocking . Accucheck lancet barrel hve been throwing in waste. HELP. In n Lanarkshire Scotland

 

[EMM30]

I'm very fortunate in that respect as the council deliver and collect sharps bins, so am going to continue down that route unless anyone tells me otherwise, even though it's been added to my repeat prescriptions. Worked well for years, so why change it.

Ur council are fab. Must call mine thnks

 

[Hopeful34]

Yes, it's still working well. I do it all online from the local council website. Need an account to set it up, but straightforward after that.

 

[MommaE]

There is a you tube video on disposing of them although it does involve taking them apart with pliers to break down into individual components. Might be fun on a cold day . The recycle components and procedures will vary depending on your location I expect.

 

[Riva_Roxaban]

My Accu-Chek Fastclic lancing device has six lancet drum that when you dial new lancet in the old one retracts. When the drum is used up it can be safely thrown in the trash as it is completely safe to do so.

https://www.accu-chek.com.au/lancing-devices/fastclix

 

[EMM30]

Ur council are fab. Must call mine thnks

Called council totally useless they say they do not do this and must contact the NHS again - totally unhelpful so phoned a private company and they’re going to get a price for me normally deal with businesses. Let’s see what they say re cost. Need to get this sorted and then fight with the NHS ti get bins and make a complaint if they don’t supply.

 

[Hopeful34]

That's awful. Have you asked the chemist what people do, they might be able to give you some advice?