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Disposing of Sharps?

S

steveinblackpool

Active Member
Messages
28
Location
Blackpool
Hi all

A friend of mine used to work at the hospital; he used to get us the yellow sharps bins and disposed of them for us by taking them back to hospital, but has now left so where do you guys get the bins from and where/who disposes of the bins. can you take them to a chemist or can you take them to the council tip (which is near by)?

Many thanks
Steve
 
You can get sharps boxes on prescription. Disposal will vary depending on where you live but your GP will be able to help (I have to call the council to have them collected)
 
Thanks for that will ask at GP's.

I did ask at chemist and they said they would charge :-( for disposal. Went out in a huff told them that i would empty it out in the bin outside (which I would never do!!)

Thanks
 
My local council, environmental health department, told me they're in touch with all GP surgeries in my area regarding sharps bins. They said the place which issued the prescription for the sharps bin is obligated to take the full bins back and dispose of them. If they refuse the council will speak to them and resolve the issue on my behalf. Never had a problem taking them back to my GP surgery because of this.
 
Hi steveinblackpool
I guess i must be lucky because my gp surgery give me a sharp box and when its full they then dispose the old box then give me a new box.
 
I've always had the sharpsbin on prescription.

I moved house recently and had a devil of a time trying to find out where I could get rid of them.
I finally found that my local Boots pharmacist will take them.

Depending on where you are it seems you need to ask around. In my case my local GP was a waste of time as he didn't have the foggiest, neither did any of the staff.
When I found out I sent an email to the practice manager suggesting that they should inform all staff at the practice.

/A
 
hi we have to contact the council who collect the full ones and leave an empty one in its place took me ages to find out where to get them from but once i had the number it was easy

anna marie
 
My understanding is that the local authority (council) has a duty to collect sharps boxes, but other people may do so as well (i.e. GP surgeries, big pharmacies etc.). If you can't find anyone else to do it, ring your council's waste or environmental services department. If you live in an area with two councils (a county council and a district one), then the district council that does your bins etc. should be the one to contact first.
 
It seems to me to be a very regional thing.
Perhaps it is worth everyone posting where they are and what the system is to try and help clear this.
Maybe at a later date one of the admins or the webmaster will collate em all into a sensible format?

From my experience:
Cambridgeshire, Huntingdon Distreict Council - Take it to your phramacy
Cambridgeshire, Fenland - Take it to your pharmacy (but hunt around many wont take. Boots seems to be consistent in taking em)
 
I get mine on prescription and ring the council (South Gloucestershire) to pick up the full ones.

The doctors used to take the full ones but stopped a few months ago. I found that a lot easier personally, it seems a complete waste of time for someone from the council to drive round to pick up one bin. It would make much more sense to me if I dropped it back to the pharmacy when I went to pick up another prescription.
 
it seems a complete waste of time for someone from the council to drive round to pick up one bin.
Click to expand...
Which is why they probably don't. Odds are that they'll collect them when the guy who can pick them up happens to be nearby anyway
 
I'm fairly familiar with how local authorities work, having spent a decade or so in them and I'd be pretty sure that either the person collecting does other things as well, or they collect lots of sharps bins on the same date. My local authority gives me a date (once every six months) and only collects then.
 
I used to have it on presciption and could drop the full one off at the surgery.
I moved surgerys and they asked me to call the local council. They come round every month, and if i have left a full bin outside they replace it with an empty one...

I actually forgot last month (when my bin was full) and they arranged for someone to come round and replace it within a couple of days... Very good system IMHO
 
I took them to my local boots at the fort manchester and although they supplied me with the sharps bin they would no take the full one. the cemist at the doctors surgery will take the full bin but they hardly even have all my perscription in stock, it is a real problem. :?
 
Hi all.
My own GP surgery accepts my full sharps box, arranges disposal of it and gives me a prescription for a new sharps bin.
There is also an every tuesday, weekly council pick up and take away full sharps bins collection with my local council.
We have to register up with them firstly - to be logged onto their computer system [address,name,reason for using sharps bins and needles] and we are given a phone number to ring requesting the pick up for the next tuesday.
Hope this helps.
Anna.x
 
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