Disposing of used pens and needles

[Glynis1]

How do most people dispose of used pens and needles? I have just found out that they count as biological waste. I have up to now put the needleless used pen with the lid on in the bin. Needles I have re sheaved securely and put these in the bin too. My GP refused to give me a sharps bin or any other disposal method.

 

[MCMLXXIII]

You're doctors supply sharps boxes and when full, provided correctly labelled also take them in for disposal.
Go back and moan, or try the local health centre.

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[mo1905]

Agree, you should be able to get a sharps box on prescription.

 

[Glynis1]

Thanks, now armed with this new knowledge and confidence I will go back and assertively ask for a sharps bin!

 

[Sarah69]

I use a needle clipper to clip the ends of the needles and put that and the empty pen in my household bin.

 

[SueR]

I put needles in sharps bin, ensure that there is no insulin left in the pen and put that in the recycling bin. With two insulin using diabetics in the house we have a sharps bin each, they then go to the local clinic for disposal.

I always ensure that the pens are empty - squirting unusable amounts of insulin down the sink, washed down with loads of water.

 

[Roberto]

I just throw them in the bin......

Never been told to do otherwise. Not since I used to use the old syringes where I used to have a clipper to remove the needle.

 

[MCMLXXIII]

I just throw them in the bin......

Never been told to do otherwise. Not since I used to use the old syringes where I used to have a clipper to remove the needle.

That's a bit risky though surely?
Is it not better to dispose of it in a safe way, i mean god help you if you throw a bill out and have to search the bin for it.,You'd end up looking like pinhead from Hellraiser:evil:

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[pav]

Just double checked with my local GP practice and they still supply the sharps boxes and take them off you when full.

 

[Roberto]

Yeah totally agree. Next time in in for a prescription I'll ask about disposal....

 

[the_exile]

Why anybody would want one is beyond me. Get a needle clipper on prescription, they're only around 3 inches long, they hold about 500 clipped needles and when you're finished with it you can just chuck it in the bin as it's unopenable, except perhaps with a sledge hammer. After the needle is clipped you can chuck the base part of the needle away as in the household waste as there's no needle on it.

 

[noblehead]

All needles should be disposed of correctly and placed inside a sharps bin for incineration, very surprised your gp doesn't adhere to this Glynis and provide one on repeat prescription for you:?

Take a read of the following from the NHS:

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2421.aspx

 

[staycalm&hopeful]

hi i was told by my DSN to ring my local council for a sharps bin.it arrived a week later,
they also collect when full,as she said it is illegal to place needles in house hold bins .I
hope this helps
DEBS

 

[anna29]

Hi All .
Empty plastic fully used pens I put in my 'blue plastics bin '
All needles must be placed into a yellow sharps bin only ...

My GP's will accept my full sharps bin and dispose of these for me.

I have also registered with my local council for sharps bins collection [every tuesdays]
Have to ring up for them to collect and they also leave a new one in its place!
This service may well vary - in other area's/location's .

Hope this helps.

Anna.

 

[AMBrennan]

Why anybody would want one is beyond me. Get a needle clipper on prescription,

Well, except for the small detail that they only work on needle >5mm ("The device can be used with 28G through 31G needles and 3/16" (5mm) through ½" (12.7mm) length needles. Not intended for use with lancets."), so I suppose it's fine if you are still using old and unnecessarily long needles and don't test your blood sugar.