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Has any else had trouble with their sharps bin collection ?

Stephanie.F

Well-Known Member
Messages
54
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
When I need my needles collected I ring the waste department at my local council and arrange for them to pick them up, the needle collection company come past my area every Tuesday so Tuesday is always the day for needle collection.
I leave my needle outside my front door and in the afternoon the old needle box has gone and been replaced for a new one, but this time no one came to collect my box I've phoned the waste department and spoke to them and it is under investigation as to why it wasn't collected even though the men collecting my box had logged that they collected it?! It's now been nearly 3 weeks and still no one has came out to collect it and my needles I've used since I'm just putting in a cup onto of my fridge as I have no where else to them, my partner phoned this morning to put in a compliant and to ask why no one has been round to collect them yet, the man at the other end of the phone was very rude and said there's nothing he can do and that it was still under investigation?!

I'm so angry at the fact the people who collect the needles came past where I live every Tuesday and can't collect my old box is something I don't understand, and I live in a flat so my needles are left outside my front door in the communal hall everyone is very understanding but there are young children who also live in my block and I myself have a 3 year old son surely it's a risk having the needles laying around? I make sure they are out of his reach but still it's not on!

Has any else had this problem? And has anyone got any advise?
 
My wife just drops mine off at the doctors surgery and get another box as part of my prescription.
 
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Sorry to hear about your problem. Have you asked your chemist or your gp surgery if they will take them ?. Where I live the local council delivers and collects sharps boxes for free.
 
Thanks for your replys, I shall go over to see my gp and pharmacy this afternoon and ask them, that's what my local council do aswell nuthead and they are usually very good but like I said its seems they can't just come and collect it now until they have investigated why it wasn't collected in the first place
 
I am astonished there is a service for collecting bins. If you can pop over to your GP and pharmacy then why do you need the bin collected? Unless we're talking disabled or elderly people who can't physically make the journey then I think this is madness.
 
Firstly I don't know if my gp or pharmacy do take the bins! Secondly I was told this after I got diagnosed that the council have a waste bin collection and that's who I should contact and thirdly the gps have a lot to deal with and are strained enough as it is so its more likely they have created this this service to help take the strain off the Gp surgeries. That's like saying why have your normal, recycling bins and glass bins collected when you can drop it all yourself?!
 
Stephanie. just ask your gp surgery to prescribe a sharps bin and they will add it to your repeat prescription, whilst requesting the item just ask if they take the sharps bin back when full.

That seems like a right palava having to wait on the council to do their investigations, it must be so annoying and frustrating for you.
 
You will find a sharps bin in every room in a surgery so they have stacks of empties and means of disposing of them. It should be as simple as walking to reception, handing over your full bin and collecting an empty one.

My astonishment is not directed at you as they've told you to use that service. I just can't believe that, given what services are being cut around the country, this one is still in place! I wonder how many test strips could be funded instead?
 
I've just been to my doctors and my pharmacist and neither of them take or replace sharps boxes and the only advise I got is to call the waste collection everyday and wait till they sort it! Sorry scardic if I came across rude I'm just very annoyed about this and I have no idea what to do ive got a box and a cup full of needles and no where to take them
 

I have my bins collected by the council and thankfully I have had no problem.

Your sentence : - @Scardoc If you can pop over to your GP and pharmacy then why do you need the bin collected? Is because the service is widely available, so why shouldn't people use it ?? Also I would rather it was collected from outside my house, rather than me carry it, by walking down to the pharmacy Health and safety does come to mind.

RRB
 
Around the area where I live the gp's do not prescribe sharps bins. The chemists don't even stock them because the council runs the free service. You phone and ask and they deliver.
 

Hi @Stephanie,F, please don't apologise, as you haven't been rude at all, it's frustrating when things go wrong and with no contact either If the service is available, then I still want to use it.
I haven;t had any problems with the collections and also where I live the council do a collection in the postcode area, so if I rang up today and asked for a collection, the advisor would ask for my postcode first and then tell me what day the collection service would be in my postcode area.
I hope you get things sorted out.

Take care and best wishes RRB
 

Thank RRB that's usually what happens with my local collection but for some reason they didn't collect and are just saying to leave my box outside until someone can come and collect it, they can't give me a date for collection as they don't know?? Yet the collection people have been in my area twice since this incident and still haven't collected it, it's is extremely frustrating and the only person I can contact that can help is getting annoyed with me keep ringing him apparently he's doing all he can, but I don't understand how it's that difficult to just pop in as they are coming past to pick the old box up and drop a new one off
 

Because it is simple to us and probably long winded to the council and it normally gets passed from one to another, then another, then another and then it gets lost. You could always try the "I would like to speak to your superior, supervisor/manager " as you are not happy with their investigation ? as you have been waiting so long.

Best wishes RRB
 
I think you also need to mention that it is a health hazard and you need it moved a.s.a.p.
 
I understand but when you have rude customer service it makes matter worse, I've asked to speak to the manager and my reply was " stop ringing it won't make matters better ive done all I can" and hung up I will try again tomorrow morning
 
Stephanie.F said:
I understand but when you have rude customer service it makes matter worse, I've asked to speak to the manager and my reply was " stop ringing it won't make matters better ive done all I can" and hung up I will try again tomorrow morning
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Don't ask then, demand, you are being fobbed off and that is not good customer Service, stand your ground and always ask for the name of the customer advisor you are talking to and the date an time of your calls.
All the best,
RRB
 
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I wonder how they'd like it if you dumped your bin on the Council office's desks. The only problem with that is that you wouldn't get a new one back.
 
I've just got back from work and have a voicemail from a lady dealing with the investigation, she says someone should have been out to collect it but the case is still open so she was ringing to see if anyone came, I shall ring her back tomorrow morning now and be having some words with her, thanks for your advice everyone I shall let you know the outcome
 
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